Forbidden
by MaladaptiveDaydreamer
Summary: OCfemale/Reid. Spencer and Cody have an unbelievable chemistry. But the pair love their jobs way too much to ruin it. So settling for being best friends seems like the perfect option... you'd think. Reviews Welcome.
1. Chapter 1

Cody strolled down into the bullpen with her usual worn, brown messenger bag over her shoulder and a to-go cup of coffee in one hand. Her long purple/brown hair flowed naturally down her back in pretty, tattered curls; she had no doubt done nothing to style it -as usual. Cody was one of those girls; she wore no makeup yet always looked more beautiful than _any_ other woman she came into contact with. She dressed in whatever she could find laying around her bedroom that morning yet always managed to look fantastic in a cool, vintage sort of way; today, she had strolled into Quantico wearing a pair of clunky, old brogues along with her comfiest pair of skinny tweed pants and a vintage, oversized knitted sweater.

She was used to the looks now. Every morning she could guarantee some kind of security guard would ask to see her credentials. And every morning she would flip out her little wallet and present her FBI badge to them before flashing her perfect, one-dimpled crooked smile and strolling into an elevator.

Cody placed her coffee cup onto her desk and lifted her bag off her shoulder before dumping it under her chair. She'd been with the BAU for almost two years, and her love for the job was still as evident as the day she started.

"Hey, pretty lady. Can I speak to you for a sec?" Cody turned to find the walking rainbow that was Penelope Garcia leaning against her desk.

"Sure, what's up?" before she could finish her sentence, Garcia had already began dragging her up to the technical analysis unit

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Whispered Garcia in a happy yet betrayed kind of voice

Cody stared at the colourful, blond woman in front of her; her bright green eyes wide with shock "what! I'm not pr- I mean, where did-" her stuttering was just making her look even more guilty. She eventually gave up "how did you know?"

Garcia's smile widened "I didn't. Well, not for sure"

"Penelope! You can't tell _anyone _okay? Wait, how did you know to ask me?"

Garcia's beautifully white smile faded "Ok well, I kinda have the team kept in an encrypted file on my system so nobody can hack into your information…again. And when I got shot, nobody found out until I was in surgery. So I kinda have medical records flagged"

"Which means?"

"Which means… Anything medical related and I get alerted."

Cody walked slowly into Garcia's office and bent over to read her computer screen. Flashing up in a black alert box in the middle of the screen was: 'Cody Syler: Metropolitan Family Planning Clinic'. Her heart sank "All this says is family planning, Garcia that could've been anything!"

"Okay fine, so I got lucky… and so did you!" Cody rolled her eyes "You know, I didn't even know you were seeing anyone"

"Yeah, nobody does. I kinda wanted to keep it a secret. Please don't tell anybody, not even Reid" Cody begged

"Wait; hold on, you haven't even told Reid you're seeing someone?" Garcia muttered to Cody.

The pair was unaware that the office door had been left fully open "No, and he definitely doesn't know that I'm pregnant"

"Scouts honour" smiled Garcia

...

"Okay so this case came in this morning; four double homicides, two weeks between each one" JJ stated as she flicked through various crime scene photos on the screen

"Ambitious" muttered Morgan

"Successful. Uh, the victim pairs are always one male, one female; _always _related.

"How close?" asked Prentiss flicking through her file

"Uh, first two cases were cousins, but the third victims; Stacey and Carter Adams were brother and sister. Then the latest two victims; Taylor and Martin Quinn were father and daughter.

"That's pretty inconsistent. Any links between victims?" Hotch asked as he leaned against a cabinet at the side of the board room

"Wait, Martin Quinn? As in…" Garcia began to type away on her laptop, leaving the rest of the team in a short suspense "this Martin Quinn?" She turned her laptop around to reveal a picture of a happy, middle-aged man holding an award in his hands

"Yes, that's him" JJ confirmed

"This is the owner of an extremely successful I.T company. I mean, some of the most sophisticated software out there was produced by his offices" Garcia said, almost stumbling over her own words

"Well I think we've found our link; Carter Adams, Mason Gray and Paul Johnson _all _worked for Quinn's company" Cody said as she read through the information in her file

"Anyone else think we're going to need Garcia for this one?" Reid looked around the room at the rest of his team smiling as they agreed

"So what is this; Jealousy, Anti-technology?" Rossi asked around the room

Hotch sighed as he looked through the photographs of the victims "We have no idea"

...

The case had been long and complicated. But they had almost caught the unsub. The team sat around the hot, stuffy conference room in Boston P.D as Garcia typed furiously on her laptop; the stress beginning to show

"Do you have it?" asked Morgan, leaning over Garcia's shoulder

"A few minutes"

"Come on, Garcia!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, Derek!" Garcia shouted

Rossi could sense the tension as the team waited for Garcia to give them a name "So what's the plan of action?"

"JJ will stay here with Garcia and Reid. You, Prentiss and I will head down to the first location. Morgan and Syler; you'll take the second. Expect things to get a little rough; this man will not go down without a fight" Said Hotch in his usual diplomatic tone

Prentiss stood up from behind the desk "Wait, do you think that's wise? I mean, Cody, you have to think of the baby now"  
>"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… Baby!" Morgan yelled<p>

"What!" added JJ

Cody's heart sank into her stomach. The entire team burst into uproar at the shocking news, though Spencer sat glued to his chair, the word 'baby' mouthed on his lips. Prentiss realised what she had done, earlier that week she had walked past Garcia's office and overheard Cody utter the words 'I'm pregnant', she had no idea that it was to be kept a secret "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I thought people knew!"

Hotch turned, stern and unemotional towards Cody "you're pregnant?"

She winced, but had no choice but to tell the truth "little bit" she mumbled

"I didn't even know you were seeing anyone" Morgan said

"Yeah, no one did"

All of a sudden, Spencer rose up from his chair; his tall and slender build towering over every member of the team "why didn't you tell me!"

"I didn't have a chance, I-"

"You _live _with me, Cody! Why couldn't you have told me at my apartment? I think I deserved to know!"

"I tried, Spencer, but we got called in early and given a complicated briefing- I just- I haven't had time"

"Time? You should have told me the _second _you found out!"

"I know, I was just scared you'd freak out!" She could feel tears welling up and glazing her eyes over  
>"Fre- Freak out! I can't believe you think I'd 'freak out' why w-"<p>

"Oh come on, Spencer! You know yourself you're not exactly the 'daddy' type!" the room became completely silent, the only sound coming from the motor of Garcia's laptop

"What did you just say?" Rossi was the only one brave enough to break the silence

"Crap" Cody whispered to herself

The team once again went into shock and began throwing questions at the secret couple "you got her pregnant?" Morgan asked Spencer

Not once did Spencer take his eyes off of Cody who was standing across the small conference room almost in tears "I guess so"

"Well you left _that_ part out!" Garcia shouted to Cody

Hotch stepped in, in an attempt to compose his team "How long has this been going on?" He asked in a voice he often used when interviewing unsubs

"About a year" stated Cody; drained and emotional. Their secret was out, and she knew they were both facing losing their job.

There was a small, high pitched bleep from Garcia's computer "Guys, you were right. One name, two locations"

The team gathered their things and filed out of the room trying to ignore the tension that was still building between Reid and Syler.

"We will _not_ continue this now. But the _second _we get back to Quantico, I will see you _both _in my office" Hotch turned and ran out of the room. Leaving the two youngest agents standing face to face, in the knowledge that their secret was out and their lives were probably about to change forever.


	2. Chapter 2

3 years earlier

Dr. Spencer Reid rushed through the offices of the FBI. He was late… again. He ran a hand through his messy hair which he hadn't had time to comb or gel like usual.

"Spence!" he heard a familiar voice calling from behind him; it was JJ -the pretty, blonde liaison of the BAU.

"Hey, JJ sorry I'm late, I wasn't expecting a case today, you called while I was at the library"

"figures" she giggled "anyway don't worry about being late, we're being treated today"

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked, confused

"The case is coming to us" she smiled before nodding her head toward the entrance of the bullpen. Spencer turned around to see Gideon rushing into the BAU, he turned around before walking into the conference room and gestured for Spencer to join him.

"Okay I don't get this, why is this a federal case?" Morgan was quizzing Hotch as Spencer walked into the room.

"Because this is an extremely intelligent, extremely ambitious and extremely stable 24 year old girl, she wouldn't do this." Gideon interrupted. He seemed driven and certain

"But we can't just go against what the police say" Morgan pressed

"May I ask what we're talking about?" Reid interrupted

JJ handed him a thin brown file "Miss Cody Syler; 24, born and raised in Ireland until she was 5, mother died shortly after moving here. Cody graduated early from college after qualifying with masters in psychology, sociology, physics and literature; she then went back and specialised in abnormal psychology and music."

"Oh my gody it's a female Reid" Morgan giggled "I still don't understand what makes this the team's business"

"She just got her profiling qualification... she applied for the BAU last month" Spencer said, reading through the rest of the file

...

"Okay, alright I'm going!" a young girl shouted at two officers as they 'escorted' her into an interview room "It wasn't me, why won't anybody believe me!" she ran towards the door before it quickly closed in front of her. "Pathetic" she muttered to herself before sitting herself down on one of the hard plastic chairs next to the interview table; she rested her bandaged arm on her knee, allowing her long hair to fall into her face

"Hello, Miss Syler" Gideon smiled at her as he entered the room closing the door behind him

"Hello" Cody replied, not bothering to raise her head and look at the older agent

"My name is Jason Gideon I'm here to ask you a few questions" He took a seat on the other side of the desk

"Gideon? Like… agent Gideon; the profiler?" She lifted her head revealing a pair of fascinated bright green eyes

"The very same" he laughed "Now, Miss Syler, my team have been asked to help with this case because we believe you are innocent. We think you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Consider yourself lucky; it's not every day the BAU get's involved in cases like this"

Cody sat motionless for a second before looking across the table to Gideon "I didn't do it"

"I believe you. Would you care to explain to me the events of your day?"

"You know, cognitive interviews are usually more effective when a particular technique is employed: Free recall, reverse order, context reinstatement or changed perspective. Would you like me to use one in particular or were you aiming for a more standard yet less effective suspect interview?" her perfect crooked smile aimed itself at Gideon

"You know your psychology, Miss Syler. Why don't we just try… free recall? But leave out the unimportant stuff; we can come back to that later"

"Fine. I woke up, went to the academy to put in an application for my gun qualification. I left the academy at around 11 and a friend was waiting for me outside" Cody took a deep breath "He was driving really fast and he ran a red light. He saw this SUV waiting to pull out onto the main road and... it was like a compulsion, it was like he had no choice in his mind but to hit it" She looked Gideon deep in the eye "I woke up as he was pulling me into the driver's seat; he ran away before the police showed up, they were telling me that I'd… killed someone"

Gideon handed her a large picture of a cute, blonde haired boy "Joshua Goodall died today after his mothers SUV was sent spinning and eventually sandwiched in between two cars, yours was the cause" Cody's eyes grew wider as she looked down at the 8 year old in the photograph "And I don't think you did this, Miss Syler, You're an excellent profiler; you yourself know that this was no accident. And I think you value your future too much to do something like this on purpose"

She paused for a long moment, her chest felt heavy and her stomach was turning "If I tell you his name, he'll kill me"

...

Gideon walked into the conference room where his team sat quietly reading through files and talking amongst themselves "she didn't do it" he almost shouted with an undeniable smile on his face

"Once again, may I point out that this case is none of our business?" Morgan called out from across the room

"But may I also point out, agent Morgan, that there have been 5 other cases of a hit and run ending in death in the last 2 months? Whoever committed this crime is a serial killer, and I think that _makes_ it our business."

"I'm not following" said Elle as she desperately tried to keep up with Gideon's complicated theory "If she didn't do it then why won't she just tell us who did?"

"Because, he threatened her; he's forcing her to take the blame" Gideon stated "we need someone to befriend her; make her feel comfortable enough to give us a name"

"I'll do it" said Morgan, in his usual alpha-male tone

"With all due respect, agent Morgan I don't think that's a good idea" Gideon said stopping Morgan in his tracks

"And why's that?"

"Because, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. And a damn good psychologist; we let you in there; she'd manipulate you so fast you'd be asking for her phone number before you even introduced yourself. I think Reid should do it" Morgan stood in utter shock as his professionalism was questioned, while Spencer choked on his coffee and spluttered across the table

"Me?" he asked quietly

"Yes you, Reid. You have a lot in common with this girl, you're the same age, of similar intelligence, and you're not as easily swayed by a pretty face. You need to make her see that whoever did this has done it before, and if we don't catch him… he'll do it again"

...

"Uh, Miss Syler? I'm Doc- Doctor Spencer R- Reid. I'm with the behavioural analysis unit of the FBI"

"Yeah, I've read some of your papers" Cody nodded, sensing Spencer's nerves

"Oh, um well, I'm here to speak to you about why the BAU are helping with this case" Spencer had never been good at going solo in interviews, especially ones that involved beautiful women "But I'm not here to interrogate you; just talk"

"Well In that case, I've always wanted to ask you what it's like to be a successful profiler at such a young age" she smiled, intrigued by the young genius sitting across the table from her

"It's probably the best decision I ever made" he smiled "I hear you've applied for the FBI?"

"Yeah, the BAU" Cody answered with a sudden realisation that she may never get the chance

"I actually have your application here; it's very impressive. I'd say you're the most likely candidate to join the team"

"There's an opening?" Her heart sank

"There could be, for someone as impressive as you" he smiled at her, in awe of how someone so beautiful could be so intelligent

"Have I completely ruined my chances?" Cody looked down at her lap

"Well I doubt the FBI would like the idea of a murderer on the team" He knew he was getting to her.

There was a long pause before Cody let out a sigh "I didn't see any signs of a killer" she whispered "I'm a qualified profiler and I didn't see one _fucking_ sign" she could feel tears spilling down her cheeks

"Don't- don't cry, please, it's not your fault; we believe you're innocent, all we need is a name." He reached his hand across the table and gently squeezed hers

She looked up and continued to hold onto Spencer's hand; he made her feel better "You have a really beautiful face" Cody whispered slightly as she tilted her head.

Spencer couldn't help but smile a little "Nice try, but I'm not here to flirt with you, I'm here to talk to you"

"Would you flirt with me if we were on a date?" She raised an eyebrow curiously, trying to steer him off topic

"I'd try" he laughed "Though I'm not so good at the flirting thing" suddenly, an idea overwhelmed his brilliant mind, he moved his other hand; holding onto Cody as if she was the only other person in the world "But I know I'd protect you. Date or no date, I'd keep you safe…. I _will _keep you safe"

"Is that a promise?" She whispered

"It's a promise" he spoke with certainty, his big brown eyes looking deep into hers

There was a long silence "Tyler Mcdowall" She winced as she spoke

Hotch, Gideon and Morgan; who had been listening from outside the interview room set off to find the new suspect in hope that it would prove the young aspiring profiler's innocence.

"We _will_ find him" Spencer whispered as he sat hand in hand with the beautiful Cody Syler

...

"Good news?" Cody smiled as Spencer entered the room

"You're free to go" said Spencer returning the smile

"And you promise he can't hurt me?"

"I promise. Hey I'll walk you outside" Spencer offered, he'd never felt so comfortable with a girl in all his life.

They walked through the large parking lot, it was now dark and there was a cold wind blowing, the pair talked and laughed, strolling slowly past rows of shiny cars "Well, this is me" Cody pointed towards a small red car; a woman waiting patiently in the driver's seat "It's my friend's mom" She giggled

"Alright well I'll leave you here. Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

"I'm fine, I had a quick talk with agent Gideon just after I was let go" she nodded

"Okay well, um I'll-" before Spencer could finish his sentence, Cody had cupped his face and pulled him into a deep kiss

"Sorry, I got a little curious" Cody smiled as she pulled away "I'll go now" She turned away and began walking towards the car when Spencer pulled her back and gave her one last kiss

"I'll see you" He grinned as he began to walk away

"You will" she replied, too quiet for the handsome agent to hear


	3. Chapter 3

**(Just a quick explanation: I feel as though my story's doing a lot of time travelling, so I just wanted to clear things up; Chapter 2 was basically a quick flash back to the first time Reid and Cody met, and now chapter 3 and onwards will be leading up to the incident in chapter 1. Sorry for being so confusing, it all makes sense in my head haha) **

**This is just a short chapter. Chapter 4 is in progress!**

* * *

><p><span>1 Year later<span>

A hard hand came down on Spencer's shoulder, causing him to spill an entire cup of coffee down the front of his pale blue sweater vest "Ah! Hot!" he shouted as he jumped up from his desk and began dancing around in an attempt to cool himself down.

"Sorry, Kid. I didn't mean to startle you" said Morgan through uncontrollable laughter before handing the young genius a box of tissues "Hotch wants us upstairs". Spencer could still hear his laughter from the conference room.

"Okay, today I need everybody to write up a report of the last case in their _own words_. I think Strauss is on my back for some kind of proof you're all still alive." The team laughed understanding the sarcasm in Hotch's voice. They all knew the reports were a waste of time "And also seeing as we're not on a case today, it seems like the perfect opportunity to get our new agent settled into the office"

"They start today?" asked Spencer as he dabbed at the large, brown stain beginning to harden on his vest

"Yes, and... here she is now" said Hotch as his eyes moved focus towards the other end of the room

"Hello, everyone" the team turned their attention to the open doorway; next to JJ stood a very attractive yet familiar young woman; she was wearing a plaid shirt buttoned up to the collar, along with a pair of black skinny work pants and a pair of tattered old converse. Her hair was an unusual shade of purple/brown and fell in loose curls down to the middle of her rib cage. She was no more than 5'4"; 'too tiny to be an FBI agent' several security guards had _kindly_ pointed out to her earlier that morning. Cody stood with a nervous smile on her face as the team examined her, she knew they were like a family, and nobody liked to be the new kid.

"Prentiss this is Agent Cody Syler, the rest of the team _should _still remember her" JJ said , trying to alleviate the awkwardness

"Oh please, let's not remind ourselves of that" Cody laughed as she shook Emily's hand

"You have _got _to be kidding me?" Morgan rose from his seat with a sceptical tone in his voice "are we all forgetting that this girl wasted valuable police time and was involved in a _murder, _not to mention the fact that she almost let the guy get away" Prentiss took a step back from Cody as if she had suddenly morphed into a giant spider. Meanwhile, Reid sat in shock; he couldn't help but remember the attraction they had felt for each other just over a year ago

"With all due respect, Agent... Morgan, isn't it?" Cody began "I was actually unaware that the killing was about to take place and I think it was well established that I felt I had no choice but to withhold information at the time as I thought my life was in danger. I'd appreciate if we could look past the incidents from last year and start anew" she took a deep breath before realising how fast she was speaking. "What I... mean to say is..." Cody gulped and began to speak slowly and sincerely "I have wanted to be a part of this team since I was a young girl. I used to read through hundreds of case files in my spare time... for fun" she laughed slightly "Gideon saw something in me that made him... pull some strings, I guess. I'm _sorry _about last year... but can you please just give me a chance?"

"I'll think about it" Morgan muttered, as he walked out of the room and headed down to his desk.

Cody turned, trying not to let the apprehensive agent get to her "anyway, it's nice to finally get the chance to be working with all of you"

"Likewise, sweetie. Ignore the big lug. Penelope Garcia; I like to think of myself as the team's personal Oracle. Oh, and don't bother with Google, I'm _far_ more effective" Garcia winked as she shook Cody's hand before following the rest of the agents out of the room.

The room was now empty except for the awkward agent desperately trying to scrub out the coffee stain from the front of his torso "take it off" Cody laughed

"W- What?" asked Spencer, startled and clearly uncomfortable around the newest agent

"Take off your vest?"

Spencer threw the worn tissue into the trash and gently pulled Cody away from the doorway "listen, I know we... kissed last year. But can we not... flirt? I'd rather things stayed completely professional between us"

Cody tried to keep a straight face which lasted around 2 seconds before she began to giggle. She tucked some of her hair behind her left ear and held onto Spencer's arm "Dr. Reid, when I told you to take your sweater vest off... I wasn't propositioning you." She laughed at the thought "I was merely suggesting that if you take it off, your shirt underneath shouldn't be stained" Spencer's cheeks began to fluster when he realised his mistake "but, I agree. Though we clearly... enjoyed kissing each other; I think it would be wise to not let that happen again" Cody nodded sweetly and left to find her desk.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Amy Porter rushed quickly into her favourite coffee shop, her heels clacking against the tiles as she hurried and joined the queue. She was no doubt a beautiful woman; she was just less than 6ft tall in heels, with vivid red hair that sat perfectly on her shoulders and a dazzling white smile. She was a model, and in a rush to get to a casting "Hi, Jen. Just my usual please" she smiled to the young girl behind the counter_

"_There you go, Amy, enjoy!" the young girl said as she handed her a large to-go cup of coffee. Amy smiled and turned quickly towards the door; crashing into a quiet spectacled man and spilling out the contents of her purse onto the floor_

"_I am so sorry. God, I'm such a klutz!" she said as she knelt down and began collecting her things and throwing them back inside her purse_

_"Oh no it's no problem, here let me help you" the kind yet still slightly startled man replied as he knelt down beside her, picking up the things she'd missed. After a few minutes, the pair had managed to gather all of Amy's things  
><em>_  
>"Thank you, sir. I really appreciate the help" she smiled before handing the girl behind the counter some money "here, Jen; for whatever this gentleman's having" she smiled again and left hastily, leaving the man with a smile equally as big. <em>

**…**

The team gathered closely around the table on the plane waiting to hear the full details of the case.

"Model: Amy Porter, 23 and boyfriend Gavin Reynolds, 26 were found dead in their studio apartment in New York City yesterday" said JJ as she watched the rest of the team flick through their files "Gavin was found on the couch in the living room, one bullet to the head"

"execution style" observed Hotch

"…and Amy was found in the couple's bedroom, raped and shot in the same way. There was a similar case 2 weeks prior to that: Anna Jones and her husband Michael, he was found dead on the kitchen floor of their home; shot in the head. And she was found in the hallway; raped and shot, also in the head"

"Home intrusions suggest a confident unsub, especially with a male in the home. Statistics show that last year 16,929 murders were committed, while just 801 of those were in New York. However there were 2,926 cases of forcible rape and-"

"Reid, breathe" Prentiss interrupted, laughing kindly

"Sorry" He smiled and returned to the file in his hands

"He's right though, New York crime rates suggest an imbalance between murder and rape; to find them both carried out in such separate ways in the same crime is unusual" Cody rubbed Spencer's arm as she spoke, reassuring him that he'd made a valid point

"This could just be jealousy, I mean, these are good looking couples" said Morgan "maybe this guy cracked; decided it was time to push the cheerleader off the top of her pyramid"

There was a long silence as the team mulled over the evidence, trying to come up with pieces of a profile "I never liked being at the top of the pyramid" Cody thought out loud "It hurts"

"you were a cheerleader?" asked Prentiss

"Yeah" the young agent smiled in the memory of her high school years

"I thought you said you were captain of the _Mathletes_?" Spencer said in a puzzled tone

"I was"

The team laughed as Reid was unable to comprehend how someone could do both.

**…**

Spencer had finally finished his geographical profile; he sat himself down in front of it and leaned back slightly to admire his work. Prentiss, Hotch and Morgan were on their way back from questioning friends and family of the victims, so he had a few minutes of solitude to read it over before presenting it to the rest of the team.

"Reid, can we talk?" a serious voice came from behind him, it was Cody; something about her gave Spencer an uncontrollable urge to act _cool._

"What's up, Sy?" He replied as he leaned slightly more into the back of his chair with his hands behind his head

"Sy?" she raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly, _must he do this? _She though to herself

"Sorry, I honestly have no idea why I said that" he sighed, smiling a little

"Yeah, me neither. Um, does Morgan like football?" she asked as she tucked her long hair behind her ears

"Um, I think he does" Said Spencer with a confused tone in his voice "why?"

Cody laughed at herself "I'm trying to win him over" she admitted "I don't think he'll be as easy to seduce as_ you_ will" she winked at him, before noticing the somewhat appalled look on Spencer's face "I'm kidding!" she stood up and ruffled her hands through his hair. He gave her a cute, awkward smile and turned his attention back to his map.

Spencer and Cody had gotten quite close in the month she had been with the BAU; she fell asleep on him a lot on the plane _he kind of liked that _and he'd finally found someone who appreciated his statistical humour; it was like they were _meant _to be friends.

**…**

The team sat around Spencer's map throwing ideas at one another to try and come up with a new lead for the case which had come to a dead end.

"Okay well, what if he never actually sets out to kill both of them?" pondered Cody

"What do you mean?" asked Morgan

"What if we're not looking for a… 'Killer'?"

"considering we haven't had any more victims, that's a good point" nodded Prentiss

"What if… this guy's delusional? There's something about the way the men are killed; it's like he's _'getting them out of the way'_" said Cody, quiet and calculating

"they're threats to him" Reid whispered "He finds a woman, believes she's fallen in love with him and when he gets rid of the male competition and confronts her…"

"She ruins his fantasy and he kills her" Hotch finished

"We're looking for a fast acting erotomanic stalker" said Cody, strangely proud that she'd cracked the case

"I'll go call Garcia, see if we can find any common connections between the two women… Good call, Ribena" Morgan patted Cody on the back of the head before walking out of the room.

"Did he just call me _'ribena'_?" Cody asked Spencer

"I think... he's referring to your hair" He smirked

"Oh… well I have a nickname now, I guess that's progress?"

**…**

_David sat quietly in his study. Becky had gone to bed complaining of a headache, so he decided to catch up on his reading for an hour or two before joining her. He loved Becky so much; every day, questioning why someone so beautiful would love someone like him. He smiled in the thought as he leaned back in his chair and continued to read. David could hear a shuffling coming from the next room 'just the cat' he thought, but the sound continued. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a shadow forming in the crease of light shining against the wall; slowly and cautiously, he turned his head to be greeted by a small, slender, spectacled man holding a revolver. BANG David was dead; slumped in his chair, the book still open in his arms.  
>The killer breathed a sigh of relieve and left the study to go and find his latest love: Becky.<em>

_BANG Becky woke in fright after hearing a gun shot coming from downstairs "David?" she called out into the darkness before slipping out of bed and walking towards the bedroom door "David, are you alright?" she called out again, her voice shaking. But when she opened the door and walked out into the hallway, there was nothing but an eerie silence._

_"Hello, Becky" said an unfamiliar voice from the end of the hallway_

_"Who are you? Wh-Where's David?" She whispered, tears filling up her eyes_

_the man spoke casually "Oh, don't worry; I got rid of him… You look beautiful tonight"_

_"Wh-What do you mean? Who are you? Where is he, where's my fiancé!" Becky was terrified and began backing up towards the bedroom_

_"Don't shout, Beck. We can be together now"_

_"No!"_

_"Becky, don't ruin this!" the intruder pulled the revolver from his jacket pocket and followed her towards the bedroom. In a panic, Becky screamed and ran into the room, locking the door behind her and running for the window. "Becky, open this door right now!" the delusional man called, twisting the handle furiously._

_With tears streaming down her face, Becky pushed the window as wide as it would go and lifted herself onto the ledge when she heard a gunshot and turned to find the intruder shooting his way through the door. In terror, Becky threw herself from the window and landed roughly in the shrubbery below._

_"Help, help me!" she called across the street to two men in a black SUV; they had driven up to the house merely seconds before she jumped from the window._

_"Hotch, over here!" the well-built, dark skinned man shouted before running up to Becky "Are you alright?"_

_"The man- In my house- Gun- Shooting- Oh my god, David" she was too hysterical to string a sentence together, but thankfully he seemed to get the message_

_"Hotch, he's in the house" he called before pulling out his gun and following the other man inside the house._

**…**

"I'm going to get some sleep; you guys should try and do the same. 2 hours until we land" said Hotch. He then lay down on one of the cream couches and covered himself with his jacket. JJ and Prentiss were already fast asleep in arm chairs next to one another, while Reid was curled up and covered in a blanket by the table.

"Hey" Cody whispered to Morgan as she sat across from him

"Hey. Listen, good call today with the stalker theory" she knew it was killing him to admit it

"Thanks" she smiled "So... I'm getting these tickets to a football game on Saturday. I'd usually ask Reid but… It'd probably take me half the game explaining to him why the ball isn't round"

Morgan laughed quietly, making sure he didn't wake anyone "sure… I'll go"

Cody couldn't disguise her smile _he doesn't hate me anymore _she thought "Great, I can't wait"  
><em><br>_"Later, Ribena" he said before turning his head and staring out of the airplane window.

Cody, walked back over to where Spencer was sleeping, she laid against him which made him move in his sleep making room for her to cuddle up to him. She closed her eyes and fell soundly asleep in her friend's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry for the lack of romance at the moment; I'm really trying to build up relationships between the team right now.<br>What do you guys think though? ...Liking Cody?  
>Reviews are more than welcome. You guys are great. <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The two youngest agents strolled out of the FBI building looking more like students getting out of college than they did qualified FBI agents.

"I'm starving!" Cody shouted to Spencer who was a few steps behind

"I'm not surprised, you slept through the whole flight. _And _the car ride back here" said Spencer with an attractive half smile

"Come get some food with me?" Cody had to tilt her head almost all the way back just to bat her eyelashes at him

Spencer pulled his go-bag further up onto his shoulder before grinning and looking down to meet the gaze of his best friend "fine. But _no _Chinese food; I always feel like an idiot asking for a fork"

"It's a deal" she giggled, as a few drops of rain began to fall from the dusking sky.

The pair ran as the rain grew heavier; bouncing off the pavement like little diamonds. Cody threw her go-bag into the back seat of her truck and ran to join Spencer who was already inside his old Volvo.

"Wow, that rain got heavy fast" she said, panting as she closed the passenger door

"Did you know that heavy rain is classified as being more than 0.30 inches of rain an hour? It actually starts off as ice or snow crystals at cloud level and drops can fall at speeds of about 22 miles an hour. So it's no surprise that with _this _temperature and the speed rain can fall… it, um…" while reeling off his knowledge of rain, Spencer turned to Cody who was leaning her head against the car seat watching him and listening intently; the rain had made her hair bunch up into tangles of wet curls while her extremely fair skin glistened in the twilight. He also noticed how her chest raised up and down slowly under her wet, baggy t-shirt; she looked _sexy _and it caught him completely off guard "…it would um, fall at an increasingly- uh, an increasingly fast- fast pace" after finally managing to get his last sentence out, he turned his head back towards the front of the car _breath, Reid _he thought to himself.

"Did you also know that raindrops are actually oval as appose to tear-shaped like everybody thinks" Cody added, completely oblivious to Spencer's sudden revelation

"I _did _know that" he smiled sheepishly, then cranked the engine and pulled away slowly.

**…**

"Morgan's finally warmed up to you" Spencer noted as he took a sip of water

"Yeah!" Cody smiled "I kinda wish 'Ribena' hadn't stuck" she laughed, referring to the nickname Morgan had given her "_one _hair-dye accident and you're scarred for life"

"I _like_your hair" Spencer beamed. He felt comfortable around Cody now, and he no longer had that urge to act cool now that he knew that she was just as much of a nerd as he was

"Thank you, Dr Reid. I like yours too" she grinned

Spencer laughed awkwardly "Yeah? ... I have my mom's hair"

There was a brief silence as the waitress came over and handed the pair their food

"So what's your mom like? I bet she's smart" said Cody digging a fork into her chicken pasta

"Yeah… she is" he replied apprehensively, pushing some lettuce around his plate

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Spencer"

"No... you know what? We've been friends for a while now, right?"

"right" Cody nodded

"I think it's about time we talked about our 'in-laws'" he smiled jokingly

the pretty agent put down her fork and smiled "okay… you first"

Spencer took a deep breath _bite the bullet _he thought "My dad left when I was ten, and I haven't seen him since. I'm an only child so it was just me and my mom for a really long time... She was a literature professor; she used to read to me a lot." He smiled in the memory "But she's uh- she's schizophrenic. And I knew that the way she was living just wasn't healthy... So when I was eighteen I had her placed in a mental institution back in Vegas; she's still there." Cody didn't dare speak; she just sat and listened to him as he spoke in a quiet and gravelly tone "I write her a letter every day; I guess I feel a little guilty for not visiting her more"

"I'm sure there's no reason to feel guilty. I bet she's so proud of you" Cody said quietly

"yeah, she's proud of me. But she also knows that she's caused a lot of… worries"

"worries?"

"Let's just say the idea of giving her grandchildren is one I'm not too fond of"

"you're scared of passing it on genetically?"

"Yeah" he nodded calmly

the pair returned to their food in a comfortable silence. Other guests were beginning to leave. And through the window by their table, they could see the pitch black sky

"your turn" Spencer smiled as he finished his burger

"okay… um, I was born in Ireland. And when I was 3 my little sister Caoimhe **[key-va]** was born. A couple of years later, my mom and dad started having some…marital problems, and god knows why but they thought moving to America would make everything better" she said in a cynical tone "about 8 months after we moved over here, my mom died; my dad took it pretty bad, he turned into this _horrible _person" Cody noticed when Spencer raised an eyebrow "oh don't get me wrong, he was never… abusive towards me. He just saw me as this _burden_ because I was really smart. Anyway, I finished high school a year early and got accepted onto this summer project with Yale... He was _so_ drunk the night I told him…" she gulped "…he flipped out, started telling me how I was a selfish person and that I was 'ashamed of my Irish heritage' because I speak with an American accent and I wanted to go to Yale for the summer. Then Caoimhe got herself involved which was totally stupid because _she _was more american than _I _was, she took dad's side and told me that if I went to Yale she'd never speak to me again. I know she was just jealous"

"What did you do?"

"I fucking went to Yale" she scoffed "came home after the summer to find my loving daddy and baby sister had moved back to Ireland... I didn't actually think they were serious, I thought it would all have blown over while I was away. It was a good job I was due to start college a year early, otherwise I would have had nowhere to live"

"They were fools" Spencer stated, a little shocked to find out about his best friend's past

"I guess" she flashed her beautiful one-dimpled crooked smile at him before shuffling around the table to be closer to him. They were the only two left in the diner which made the sound of the rain hitting the window seem even louder

"I think the staff are getting frustrated with us" Spencer whispered

"It _is _late" Cody laughed

"Come on, I'll drive you back to your truck"

**…**

The pair sat in Spencer's car which was parked up in the VA parking lot. Cody was leaning her head on Spencer's shoulder listening contently to the patter of raindrops against the windshield

"You're not asleep are you?" asked Spencer

"No! I'm just relaxed" she laughed

"Oh alright, you just seem to sleep on me a lot" they laughed together for a second before Cody lifted her head and shifted towards the passenger door

"I better get to my truck before the FBI tow it" she smiled "but listen, I have a favour to ask you"

"anything" he replied quickly

"I have… a date tomorrow night. He's picking me up from work so I was wondering whether you could give me a ride in the morning."

Spencer felt a huge knot forming in the pit of his stomach, he sat for a second in silence, processing what had been said "a date?"

"Yeah, I figured there's no point in waiting around for something that's… never going to happen" Cody felt a small flutter in her stomach, but it wasn't a nice flutter "…So I might as well get myself out there" she smiled awkwardly at the speechless Doctor.

"S-Sure, I'll pick you up in the morning" he finally replied

"Cool" she muttered back "Goodnight"

"Goodnight" he placed a hand on her cheek and moved it onto her neck and then shoulder. She rested her head on his hand for a moment before opening the passenger door and running out into the mist and rain; gone from Spencer's vision momentarily until the headlights of her truck sprung to life. She honked her horn and pulled away

"_fuck_" he whispered to himself, all of a sudden feeling very lonely.

* * *

><p><strong>Go to my profile for some extra information about the storycharacters. I'll keep posting a few things on there now and again. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! Okay so, this chapter is really just a build up to the next one. So I've written it more like little clips (kinda like an episode). **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6<span>

Cody felt like part of the family now –she'd never had that feeling with anyone before. Hotch was like a father-figure to her; stern and in command, yet he seemed to have a soft spot when it came to her -something the team _still _couldn't believe. And now that Morgan liked her it was hard to imagine what life was ever like without him; he was like a protective older brother, while JJ and Prentiss were like her older sisters; always there to make her feel better. Cody didn't get to see Garcia much, which made the times she did see her _even more_ special; they would sit for hours in her apartment watching classic 80's movies while Penelope mixed cocktails and talked about her undying love for prince William.  
>And then there was Spencer –her absolute world. She didn't see him as family; he was something more, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. He made her feel comfortable yet special, she got little flutters in her stomach whenever he smiled at her, and she was sure he was going to be a part of her life forever.<p>

**OOO**

Spencer pulled up outside the old apartment building and rested his arm on the open window of his car. He pulled out his cell phone and dialled the number which was saved as 'All Time Genius of the World' –she had gotten hold of his phone a few weeks ago -he hadn't bothered changing it back

"Hey, babe; I'll be out in a sec!" Cody shouted down the phone before hanging up.

Spencer couldn't help but smile as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

As he sat in silence waiting for Cody, he began to notice how his mind just wouldn't shut up; 'she's _just _a friend, not to mention the fact that you work together' 'you don't even like each other like that, you kissed _once_, get over it' 'she's going on a date tonight, and you're _HAPPY _for her' 'god, Spencer! She's your best friend!… she's your best friend, she's your best friend, she's your best-'

Cody came running out of the building and hopped into the car "thanks for picking me up" she smiled

'_friend' _his mind finished before winding down into nothingness "It's no problem... Coffee?" he said as he drove away

"Sure" she pulled her knees up to her chest and turned on the radio

"You know, you're not helping with the whole '_get the team to take us seriously_ _as agents' _thing" laughed Spencer as he looked across to Cody who was sat mouthing along to the song like a teenager

"Well I don't see the team anywhere here, Dr Reid. Do you?"

**OOO**

"But he scares me" said Garcia in a frantic whisper as she spun around in her computer chair

"He's fine! Just give him time" Cody whispered back, a faint laugh in her voice

"I'm sorry, Code. But he looks more like head of the freaking _mafia _than he does an FBI profiler!"

Spencer walked into Garcia's office holding a stack of brown files "I'm pretty sure agent Rossi is _not_head of the mafia" he cut in

"yes, Reid… that's exactly what he'd _want _you to think" said Penelope as she took the files from Spencer and turned back around to face the main computer screen

"Trust the profilers, Garcia. Rossi is _fine_" Cody persisted before kissing the side of Penelope's bright blond head and leaving the room, quickly followed by Spencer.

**OOO**

"They're _really _on the team?" Rossi asked Morgan as they watched the two youngest agents through the glass wall of the conference room

"Yeah?" replied Morgan in a questioning voice "Sir, they were _on_the last case we worked" he laughed slightly

"I just thought they were students getting some experience in the field"

JJ and Prentiss who were sitting at the table behind the two men giggled to each other

"No, sir… Actually they're probably the two smartest members of this entire team" Morgan said in an ironic tone as he watched Spencer and Cody making their way to their desks together "Why wouldn't you think they were profilers?"

Rossi took a momentary pause "because _he _looks like a librarian's assistant, and _she _looks like she's about to go sell antiques to old people"

Morgan's large white smile began to form, _Rossi had a point_;  
>Spencer, who was now sitting on the edge of his desk reading through a case file, was wearing a pair of long navy-blue cords with a pale white shirt and a bright red woollen cardigan complete with his oldest pair of converse. His hair was messy, his horn-rimmed glasses sat cutely on his face and the position he was sitting in just about revealed his mismatched socks.<br>Cody was standing nearby talking to Hotch, her tiny frame next to his made her look like a little girl; her hair was loose and messy, falling down to the middle of her rib-cage. She was wearing a baggy grey dress that stopped at middle of her thighs, over a pair of black tights with her favourite pair of deck shoes. And over it all, she wore an extremely oversized tweed blazer which matched the length of her dress.

Morgan laughed as he took in the accuracy of Rossi's comment

"I don't know, Guys" said Prentiss light-heartedly "Hot nerds are kinda 'cool' right now" she explained, remembering a conversation she'd once had with Penelope

"hot nerds? Wait… you think _Reid's _hot?" Morgan asked shocked

"uh, hello" Prentiss said as if the answer was obvious

Garcia entered the room as the agents spoke "Oh come on: Penelope, JJ… do you think Reid's hot?"

the two blonds answered at the same time  
>"Oh my God Yes!"<br>"Oh, most definitely"

Morgan stood, astounded at the realisation that all three women obviously found the awkward genius attractive.

**OOO**

Spencer had never dreaded six o'clock as much as he did that night. He sat at his desk working through reports, constantly glancing over at his best friend out of the corner of his eye. The feeling of misplaced jealousy irritated him 'I don't _want _to feel this way, I'm _not _jealous… so why can't I help feeling resentful towards this?' he thought to himself as he scratched at his head and pushed his glasses up his nose. Statistics swirled through his eidetic memory; he flicked through page after page in his head trying to find _some _explanation.

"Hello?" Cody's voice made Spencer jump a little "Sure, I'll be ready and waiting. –No, I'm with the BAU… but that's irrelevant, you just wait outside the building for me –No, really, you stay in your car and I'll come to you. Okay, bye" She smiled as she threw her cell phone inside her messenger back and checked her watch "I'm going to go change" Cody turned, now aiming her speech at Spencer "thanks for the ride this morning, you're the best" she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders; he was still sitting in his chair.

The hug made him feel awkward "anytime" he smiled faintly

Cody placed a friendly kiss onto one of his temples before releasing him and running off to the locker rooms "See you in the morning, Spence; bright and early!" she called behind her

"bright and early" he repeated unenthusiastically.


	7. Chapter 7

Cody turned over, let out a sigh and began to open her eyes gradually. Suddenly, she heard footsteps growing closer and closer towards the room, there was a snap and the room lit up so brightly she had to close her eyes for a moment.

"What?" she asked quietly, he voice croaking with thirst

"I'm going to need you to write something for me, okay?" he asked calmly as he threw a pen and paper down…

Cody was curled up on the damp, dirty mattress -terrified; her neck and face were covered in deep purple bruises, her head was sore from where she had been dragged around by her hair, and her wrists were cuffed together tightly in front of her. She didn't reply, instead she lay helpless, beginning to cry at his feet.

"Did you hear me? Pick up the pen!" he shouted aggressively down her ear. Cody flinched, but remained curled up on the floor

He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back violently, dragging her off the mattress and directly onto the hard concrete floor "Pick up the fucking pen!" he screamed

"Okay- okay I'm doing it" Cody sobbed as she picked up the pen, both hands still bound together firmly

"You write _exactly_what I say, got it?" he ordered as he stood over her

"yes" she whispered pathetically

"'Dear Team'" he began

Cody's cry's became uncontrollable as it dawned on her what he was asking her to do "No- no you leave my team out of this!" he quickly tangled a hard fist into her hair "Okay! Okay!" she cried before scribbling down the words 'dear team' onto the piece of paper

"'you have failed me'" he grinned –Cody complied, tears pouring down her bruised face. "'Because of you, I am going to die'" She hesitated, turning her head to look at him in disbelieve. "Do it!" he yelled. "_'love from _Agent Cody Syler…'" he said, his voice oozing with venom "'…Kiss, kiss, kiss'" he laughed

"I'm so sorry" Cody whispered to the piece of paper as she wrote exactly what he wanted. As soon as she had finished marking the last kiss, he pulled the paper from underneath her, switched off the light and marched out of the room, leaving Cody in pitch-darkness; cold, alone and scared.

How had she ended up like this? How had an _FBI agent_managed to get herself into such a vulnerable state? How could she claim to be a good profiler when she couldn't even see this coming? Cody hated herself, she felt so stupid. She sat crying for a moment, imagining how the team would react to the letter. 'The girls are going to feel so bad; Emily and JJ will be so upset, and oh no Penelope is going to feel so guilty!' she thought to herself 'what will Morgan think? And Hotch; they'll be really mad at me, and Rossi, he'll think I'm such an idiot… Oh my god, Spencer!' her cries became louder as she thought about her best friend reading the note 'he'll blame himself, but it's not his fault! It's no one's fault but mine'

"I have to get out of here" Cody said out loud. It took all of her strength just to rise to her feet; she hadn't been given any food or water since she was taken.

Listening carefully, she managed to pick up the faint whooshing of passing vehicles. She began walking towards the noise, feeling her way around the dark room and holding her cuffed hands out in front of her until she came to a wall. Cody pressed her ear up against it –listening as she could hear footsteps, and the whooshing of vehicles became slightly louder. A glimmer of hope rushed through her leaving a brief smile across her dry lips. She lifted her arms, curled her hands into fists and began bashing them into the wall

"Help!" she screamed over and over again as she punched and kicked against the solid wall. Suddenly, a noise came from across the room –his footsteps were growing closer; they were angry. Cody backed away from the wall, sitting down and pushing herself into the far corner

"What's all the noise about?" he asked casually, almost as if they were friends.

Cody knew he wasn't normal, just from that one question she was able to add another piece to her profile –he was displaying mood swings, one minute an aggressive bully and the next emotionally detached to the situation; she knew that he had probably gone through a physical trauma in his past affecting his brain function, along side years of mental and physical abuse from a relative. Getting the team involved made Cody believe that he was acting on revenge to re-enact an event involving his own family. But he was organized; he had picked her out, taken her on a date, waited weeks before the abduction. He had created a place to keep her trapped, found out were she worked… it didn't mix.

**OOO  
><strong>

"I've checked with all of her friends, all of her old college professors, _everybody _she knows –nobody has seen or heard from her. Plus her cell phone is _still _switched off" said Garcia as she choked back the tears

Hotch nodded coolly "Well then we need to check flight records, see if she's gone somewhere. Most preferably Ireland-"

"Hotch can you please just accept the fact that somebody's taken her and start _looking _for her for god's sake!" Garcia interrupted, her lip quivering and tears dripping from underneath her glasses. She had forgotten for a moment that he was in fact her boss "I-I'm sorry, sir. I just… She went out with a guy the night she -maybe- went missing-"

"She can't be missing" said Hotch in a surprisingly defeated voice. Garcia sat shocked that he hadn't told her off for yelling at him; instead she heard the pain in his voice.

Morgan stood up in frustration causing his chair to fly backwards "I hate this!" he shouted, pacing around for a second "I need coffee" he said as he walked out of the conference room, leaving Hotch, Rossi and Garcia inside

"Hey, what's going on? Any news?" asked Emily as she bumped into Morgan

"Nothing." He snapped and continued to walk towards the break room.

...

Spencer stood glumly stirring his coffee, he didn't notice when Derek walked in, he just continued to look down at the cup of black liquid and swirl his spoon around half-heartedly.

"Did you know she had a date the last night we saw her?" He made Spencer jump

"What? Oh… yeah" Spencer said unenthusiastically

"Do you know the guy?"

"No, I don't… So you _do_ think she's been taken" he nodded, biting his bottom lip to hide the fact that it was trembling

"Do _you _think she'd just _leave_?" Morgan countered quickly

"I don't know what I think. But right now the thought of her just leaving, although painful, is a lot easier than the thought of her being alone and scared somewhere" His voice trailed off towards the end

"This is reminding you of Tobias Hankel" it wasn't really a question

"Why are people on this team _constantly _being hurt and... victimized?"

"I really don't know, kid." The pair stood in an awkward silence for a moment

"I was scared… and hurt" Spencer began "but at least you guys were trying to find me, at least I had _hope_. What if she's scared and hurt? … I should be trying to find _her _Morgan" Spencer snivelled, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

Morgan stood as the usually strong-minded agent almost broke down in front of him, it was hard to watch.

"Guys, conference room now!" JJ called into the break room before running up to join the others.

Spencer and Morgan quickly followed, taking their usual seats around the table. Spencer turned and looked down at the empty chair next to him, he was sure he could feel his heart breaking; he felt empty without Cody, realising just how much she meant to him.

"I just found this on my desk" JJ said hastily as she held up a piece of folded-up, discoloured paper _THE BAU _was written in large black letters. She unfolded it gently and began to read out loud –her voice cracking a few times

"_Dear Team,  
>You have failed me.<br>Because of you, I am going to die.  
>Love from Agent Cody Syler<br>xxx"_

The room was completely silent except for Penelope's quiet sobs.

Hotch shook his head in disbelief "Did it come in an envelope? Was there a stamp? A post office address?"

"Nothing."

"That at least means she's local." Stated Prentiss in a hopeful tone

"We don't even know it's really from her" Rossi contradicted

Spencer stood up suddenly and took the note from JJ's hands "It's her writing. It's _clearly _her writing! The pressure is on the beginning of each letter and it fades out towards the right; the person that wrote this is left handed –Cody's left handed. Th-The curls on her E's and A's are over enthusiastic –I recognize them, they're her's!" He rambled, desperately trying to convince the rest of the team that she needed help "but there's hesitation all over the place… she was forced to write this"

"Morgan and Prentiss went to her apartment, Reid. There's no prints, no sign of a struggle, no evidence" said Rossi, making the team realise how hard it was going to be to find her

"Well Garcia can run the note for prints, I'll make a geographical profile, we can-"

"Look, maybe Rossi's right. We have _no _leads. We don't even know how long she's been gone, or where she was taken from, we need to take this slow" Said Hotch

"Oh! So a guy that's been on the team for just over a _month_ is now making life or death decisions about other members of the team! Give me a break. That's pathetic!-"  
>"Reid!" Hotch stopped him "we want to find Syler just as much as you do. But we have to be realistic about this. Now if you feel you are too emotionally attached to this case to be effective then I suggest you remove yourself from It." he spoke in a stern and punishing tone.<p>

The other members of the team sat around in shock at Spencer's disrespect and momentary lack of profiling skills.

"No- I'm fine. I just- I need a minute" he murmured before walking out of the room.

**OOO**

"You have to let me go" Cody's voice cracked though she was trying to sound strong

"That's not going to happen" he said calmly with a smile on his face. His smile made Cody think back to their date four nights earlier…

_"So tell me about your family" he said –he was a very attractive man; Olive skinned with shaggy dark hair, glossy hazel eyes that pierced through masses of long, jet-black eyelashes and slight stubble covering his strong jaw-line._

_Cody couldn't help but giggle at his request "There's actually not much to tell; my mom died when I was young and I don't speak to anyone else. I'm a lone wolf" she laughed_

_"Seriously? You have like… No family?" He seemed oddly disappointed_

_"Well I guess my team is my family" She smiled as she thought about them all "I'm sorry, that was so cheesy" she giggled_

_"No, it was sweet" he smiled "So they're your family, huh?" he pondered "The BAU, right?"_

_"Yep, the Behavioural Analysis Unit"_

She had practically handed him her team on a plate 'stupid!' she thought, before continuing to plead with him

"You know I'm not right for this… You wanted someone with a family; blood relatives –they're the real victims not-"

"you're profiling me?" he snapped

"No, I- uh –I just-"

"Little miss F-B-I thinks she can _negotiate_herself out of this?"

"No, I- I-" A hard fist smacked into the side of her head, and before she could finish her sentence she was lying almost unconscious on the floor "S-Spen-" Everything went dark.


	8. Chapter 8

_Anything extensive written like this is a memory._

* * *

><p>"It's fine, Cody. You're safe now, it's fine" Spencer whispered as he knelt down and stroked her tender head.<p>

Cody opened her eyes again slowly "Spencer?" she croaked, before bursting into tears and pulling herself into him

"Don't waste your energy, babe" he said as he helped her into his lap and cradled her like a child

"Is he gone?"

"Yeah, the police have just taken him away. It's over now" Spencer smiled. He kissed her forehead and wiped her tears away gently.

Cody felt as if a huge weight had been lifted; she relaxed into Spencer's body, grasping at his shirt and hiding her face in his chest. She closed her eyes in content and felt herself drifting away slowly into a comfortable sleep.

**...**

"Get up. Do you hear me? Get up!" Cody felt a harsh tugging at the back of her head followed by the disturbing realisation that it had all been a dream; it wasn't fine, she wasn't safe and it wasn't over.

He grasped her tightly by the arm in an attempt to pull her to her feet "stand up!"

"I can't, I'm not strong enough" She sobbed "I need water, and food. Please"

He looked at Cody; studying her scrawny frame as she hung weakly in his hands "fine" he grunted before dragging her towards the door.

**OOO**

"You should apologize to Rossi" Morgan suggested in a brother-like tone as he leaned against Reid's desk

"I know, I mean, I will" Said Spencer as he sat with his head in his hands

"Maybe Hotch is right, Kid. Maybe you should just… take a few days off; we'll keep you updated."

"I'm not going home, Morgan. I'm going to find her." He said firmly

"Reid, that note said she was 'going to die' do you really think you'll be able to handle seeing that?"

"Do you think _you'll _be able to?" Spencer countered quickly, a slight harshness in his voice

"No... But it wasn't _me _who just lost my temper with a highly respected senior agent" Morgan answered immediately, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke

"Garcia's been crying for days; I don't see you telling _her _to take time off"

"Because Garcia isn't a profiler, Reid. She can cry all she wants in her office, but she'll _still_ get the job done. We can't have volatile people working this case-"

"I know" Spencer stopped him abruptly "I'm fine."

Prentiss walked over to the two men, there was an inappropriate swing in her step "I just convinced Hotch to let us go back to her apartment; interview neighbours, go through her things…" she smiled at Reid; thinking he would be happy with the news "You've been to her apartment more than any of us… I think you should come"

Spencer rubbed his eyes; the dark purple circles seeming even deeper than usual. He stood up and grabbed his messenger bag "Okay, let's go" he said, in a subdued manner.

…

Cody's apartment was almost exactly the same as the last time Spencer had been there. The front door led straight to the living area; it was cosy and filled with all of her vintage, mismatched furniture. He smiled as he looked down at the patch-work blanket on the couch; remembering how Cody loved to snuggle up underneath it while they watched documentaries, _Nerdy Movie Night _she would call it.

He turned towards the enormous oak bookcase that stood taller than him against the wall; it was crammed full with book-after-book; Chaucer, Dickens, first editions, biographies… Along with rows of comic books, Harry Potter, and Manuscripts.  
>One of the shelves however was packed with little trinkets and hand-made picture frames; Cody in college with her friends, Cody and her mom, Cody with Prentiss JJ and Garcia in a bar, Cody with Morgan and Hotch, and then right in the middle of the shelf –in the largest frame of them all- was a picture of Cody and Spencer; her eyes were bright and sparkly as her smile beamed and her head tilted slightly towards the camera. Spencer was the one holding the camera in front of them in the photo; looking down at Cody in awe, his charming smile revealing the attractive lines in his cheeks.<p>

Spencer smiled subtly as he stared at the photograph-

"The window's open" Prentiss called to him "but there's nothing outside for someone to climb up on… I don't think anybody came in through here" she thought out loud

"she likes having that window open; the positioning of it is fundamental to the outside width of the building, and the pressure of the air is at a perfect central point for the height of the apartment. With that window open and the angles at which her walls stand, the circulation of cold air is just right." Spencer turned to face a perplexed Emily "…she said" he twitched his mouth cutely

Emily nodded "I'm going to go find her bedroom" she said before turning and walking towards the hallway

"Uh, if you follow the hall it's the second door on the left" Prentiss turned back towards Reid and raised an eyebrow "it's not what you think" he informed her cynically.

Prentiss walked away, a teasing smile on her face.

JJ walked through the front door; quickly followed by Hotch and Rossi. "We may have a witness" JJ called out breathlessly

"what?" Reid asked with panic in his voice

"A woman two apartments down saw Cody being escorted to her front door by a man on Tuesday night at around 10pm" said Hotch

"Her date" Spencer confirmed in a sad tone

"She gave us a pretty good description, we're just waiting for the sketch artist. The only problem _is_ that she said she saw him leave… Alone" said JJ regrettably

"Anything out of place here?" Hotch asked

"Nothing so far. Prentiss is in her bedroom now" he nodded allowing JJ and Hotch to walk past him "Agent Rossi?" he said after the other two left "I just wanted to apologize about earlier, I was out of line"

"It's fine, kid. I get it" Rossi gave Spencer a friendly smile

"y-you get it? Forgive me, sir, I don't understand"

"she means… _a lot _to you" the older agent smiled

"We're um, we're just friends" Reid pressed

Rossi stood quiet for a moment "okay" he finally replied.

**OOO**

He sat Cody down on an old wooden chair in front of a small dining table covered with a red and white chequered cloth. There was a large window to the right of her which allowed the sun to shine brightly into the room -She could now see the extent of the damage to her body; she was _still _wearing the grey t-shirt dress she had worn to work that day and then out on her date that night. Her knees were skeletal and covered in green/brown bruises. Her wrists were cut from the handcuffs and even thinner than usual, while her forearms were emaciated, with clear handprint-shaped bruises wrapping around them. She let her head drop, causing her tattered hair to fall over her face.

There was a sudden slam which made Cody jump; she looked up to see a large cup of water and a plate of buttered bread on the table in front of her.

"You have five minutes" he muttered before sitting himself down by the door.

Cody twisted her hands the best she could around the cup of water but her grip wasn't good enough "I can't do it with these handcuffs" she mumbled.

He walked over to her slowly and pulled a key from his pocket. After unlocking the handcuffs and removing them from her sore wrists, he returned to his chair silently.

"Thank you" Cody whispered.

She guzzled down the water quickly, feeling her dehydration easing slightly. She began stuffing her face with the bread, taking gulps of water between mouthfuls. As she ate, a brown bag sitting on the edge of the table caught her eye –it was hers.

_He threw her to the ground and pulled off her shoes. He ripped off her jacket and began trying to cuff her hands together_

_"No please, stop. You can let me go now and I won't say a thing" Cody begged only to be greeted by a hard slap across the face_

_"Shut up!" he screamed before finally managing to get the handcuffs on her "stay still or I will kill you" he threatened, the venom in his voice was so powerful._

_Cody began to cry as she watched him rummage through her bag. He pulled out her cell phone and switched it off quickly; flashing an evil smile at Cody and placing it back in her bag. _

'If I could just turn that phone back on, I bet Garcia's been trying to track it' she thought to herself as she continued to eat.

Cody's mind began working at ultra speed; she needed a way of distracting him. Suddenly, she felt the light bulb flash inside her head; she turned and pretended to be looking at something out of the window "there's someone coming down the path" she said

"What?" she could hear the panic in his voice. He jumped up from his seat

"It's a man" she pretended to observe and he ran over to the window.

After that, everything seemed to happen in slow-motion; she reached to her bag as his back was turned. She grabbed her cell phone and with a shaking hand she began desperately trying to switch it on before he turned around

"You're lying" he growled and turned back to her "what do you think you're doing?" he shouted. Cody was stood next to the table staring at him in terror

"Nothing, I-I'm f-finished" she gulped, her cell phone wedged inside her bra. He grabbed the handcuffs in one hand and wrapped the other hand around the back of her neck.

…

Cody landed hard on the concrete floor; the coldness of the room was more noticeable to her now.

"You think it's funny to lie to me?" he ranted "well I think it's funny that _that _was your last supper" he scoffed before slamming the door and leaving Cody in the darkness she had grown used to.

She immediately pulled the phone from her bra and switched it on; crying hysterically when the welcome screen appeared "come on Penelope" she whispered through the tears before pushing the phone under the corner of the dirty, damp mattress.

**OOO**

"Okay m'lovely, keep us posted" said Garcia before pushing a button with her fluffy pen and hanging up. "That was JJ, nothing has come up at the apartment but they have a sketch of a possible unsub"

"I'm going over there" Morgan said as he stood up

"There's nothing you can do, Derek. JJ's sending me the picture now" Penelope said as she tugged on the bottom of his shirt gesturing for him to stay

"they have a sketch" he argued

"okay fine, the truth is… _I_ want you stay because right now you're the only thing keeping me strong and I know that the second you leave this room I'll be left with my own thoughts and I can't be left like that, Derek. Because I know that the only thing I will be able to think about is seeing her dead" she rambled as the tears fell down her face.

Morgan stopped her with a hug "okay, I'll stay. Shhh baby girl."

And just as he uttered those last words, Garcia's computer bleeped. He lifted his head to look, and in the middle of the screen, flashing up in a black box was Cody's cell phone co-ordinates "Garcia!"

Penelope turned "oh my god! Oh my god, her phone is back on!" she shouted and began typing away.

Morgan immediately pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled Hotch's number "Hotch! Cody's phone just switched back on- yeah she's getting it now- okay" he hung up and leaned over Garcia's shoulder

"the cell phone is at..." Garcia continued to type furiously "…are there any houses on Roby lane?" she asked confused

"there's a farmhouse." Derek thought "she's there?"

"hold on, the owners of _that_ house are… Peter and Mary Brighton" she said as she got a picture of the couple up on the screen, followed by the sketch that JJ had sent

"oh wait… they both died 20 years ago"

"So who owns the house now Garcia!" asked Derek, his patience growing thin

"there's no records of anything… oh wait, they had a son? Um… Jake Brighton" she said as a picture of him popped up on the screen, there was an uncanny likeness to the sketch "oh my god"

"that's him" Morgan sighed

"Does this mean she's alive?" Garcia asked her voice full of hope "Derek?" she turned to find that Morgan had already left.

…

"Her phone's back on" Hotch said

"What!" Reid shouted "Where is she?" he asked, already on his way to one of the team's SUVs.

"Reid we don't know if she's even-"

"Alive!" he shouted ironically "…what's the address, Hotch?"

"Roby lane farmhouse everybody, now! Let's move!" he shouted to everyone, his eyes remaining on Spencer.

**OOO**

Cody heard Jake's footsteps coming back. She automatically backed herself into a corner and pulled her knees tightly to her chest

"I think we've given your team enough time to receive your little note, don't you?" he said as he charged towards her. Jake pulled her to her feet before he heard a muffled beep coming from the mattress. He dropped her carelessly and lifted the corner of the mattress to reveal the cell phone "what's this?" he asked through gritted teeth

"I-I-"

He came inches away from Cody's face "Who have you called!"

"Nobody I swear, I just turned it on!"

Jake lifted his hand and slapped Cody across the face

"Shit!" he screamed with panic.


	9. Chapter 9

Jake paced up and down; every footstep against the cold, stone ground sending a shiver down Cody's spine. He turned and looked down at the terrified agent, a tormented smile curling at the sides of his mouth

"Let's try something" he spoke with no threat, as if they were friends. He walked towards her slowly and knelt down in front of her "I don't usually do this..." he whispered as he ran a hand down her thigh "...but you're just _so _beautiful"

Cody pulled her legs tightly to her chest; she had profiled Jake, and she had come to realise that he was most probably impotent "you –you can't r-rape me" she whispered hysterically, unable to control what she was saying

"I can't?" he asked aggressively "Well I _don't_ think you have much choice in the matter, I-"

"you –you can't... I've profiled you!" she began rambling; it was almost as if she had turned into Reid "You're- you're incapable of love but you can imitate affection almost perfectly. You- you've had me here for almost a week but the whole time you've used aggression and violence to get a sexual release because the truth is… you can't get it up–"

Jake wrapped one of his large hands around the petrified agent's neck, stopping her mid-sentence

"Who the _fuck _do you think you are?" he spat. Cody was choking, unable to breath or swallow; the tears streamed down her face as she was seconds from passing out. "Can't get it up? Alright then, bitch. Let's try something else" he grinned wickedly as he released her tiny neck from his firm grasp.

Cody coughed and spluttered; her weak body keeled over as she tried to catch her breath. Meanwhile Jake had walked across the room and retrieved a large scalpel-like knife from outside. Cody's eyes widened as the irritated man walked towards her, the sharp weapon gripped tightly in his hand. Jake grabbed Cody by the ankle and dragged her onto the dirty mattress at the other side of the room

"No, please, no!" She screamed as she fought to make him release her leg "No!" she continued to cry as he laid her on her back and tied her already cuffed hands above her head. He pulled her dress up and Cody kicked her legs frantically, but Jake had already straddled her thighs leaving her helpless underneath him.

Cody felt an ice cold sting across her stomach, she screamed in pain only to be met by a wicked laugh and another sharp slice. Jake continued to carve into her stomach, curving in different directions, watching her cringe and whimper; getting off on her screams. He was enjoying himself; mutilating her once beautiful body brought him joy, watching the life leave her eyes excited him.

Cody lay underneath him, no longer strong enough to shout; she just closed her eyes and cried, until a familiar sound echoed around the room –the cock of a gun.

"One more cut and I blow your brains out" It took all of her strength just to open her eyes, but it was worth it; standing behind Jake was Morgan.

"Fine, no more _cuts_" Jake whispered, and within seconds he had plunged his knife deep into Cody's stomach; the pain from his knife, met with the sound of a gunshot.

The ache seemed to swallow Cody up, leaving her drifting away until finally... everything went dark.

**OOO**

"Hey babe! Hey, try and stay awake for me" Cody opened her eyes slightly, she was hooked up to a machine and the sound of sirens boomed. Above her, stroking her head was Spencer

"S-Spen-cer?" she wheezed; almost too quiet to be heard

"I'm riding with you to the hospital, okay? Stay awake for me" he smiled in relief as the doors were slammed shut and the ambulance began to drive.

One of the paramedics grabbed her and gently slid a needle into her arm "I'm just going to give you something the ease the pain, honey; you have a lot of cuts" It was only then that Cody noticed at least two other medics working on her injured stomach

"Don't –make me go home, Spencer. I c-can't go back there" Cody gasped quietly to Spencer before several tears fell down her cheeks, and she once again drifted out of consciousness.

**OOO**

"We've managed to stop the bleeding and seal all of her wounds. She was lucky; the knife didn't cause a lot of internal damage" Said the doctor as she stood with the team in the hallway "She'll be free to rest at home after a few days, do you know any family I can contact for her?"

"you can contact me, Aaron Hotchner" said Hotch as he handed her a card with his name and phone number on "tell them to call me at _any _time and I'll come pick her up" Prentiss turned towards the rest of the team who were smiling kindly at Hotch's protectiveness.

"Can we see her?" Garcia asked eagerly

"You can't tonight I'm afraid, she's still very weak and there's just too many of you" said the doctor regrettably

"don't worry, we'll just tell Spencer to give her our love and we'll come back tomorrow" JJ nodded sweetly

**…**

JJ pushed the door open slightly "Spence, the rest of us have to go but the doctor said we can come back tomorrow" she whispered into the room

"Okay" he began before being interrupted by the fragile Cody

"Why do you have to go? I'm fine" she insisted

"Sweetie, I promise we will be back first thing tomorrow. But you're in good hands, Spence will look after you" JJ smiled before closing the door gently.

Spencer smiled and turned his attention back towards Cody who was struggling to stay awake.

"Code…" he paused carefully "Why don't you want to go home?" he asked tentatively

"I just don't feel safe" she wheezed

"Why?"

"because I went inside" she struggled "I thought he had driven away. I thought everything was fine… then I turned around. He was there" she fought back the tears

"how come there were no signs of a struggle at your apartment?" he asked as he stroked her hand with his thumb

"He put a hand around my mouth and another around my throat. He picked me up and walked out with me." She began to cry "God! I'm so pathetic-"

"Not at all! You've been _so_ brave" Spencer reassured her.

Cody continued the battle to keep her eyes open, focusing on Reid

"Why don't you get some sleep?" he suggested

"No, I-I can't" she persisted

"Why not?"

"because I'm scared. I'm scared that if I go to sleep… I'll wake up _back there_. And this, _you _will have all been a dream"

Spencer looked at his best friend brokenheartedly. He grasped her hand firmly and looked deep into her eyes "here. Remember the first time we ever met? And I promised to protect you no matter what?" Cody nodded a little "Well that promise still stands" Spencer smiled "and now I'm going to keep a hold of your hand... So even if you _do_ end up being _dragged back into the past" _he smiled jokingly "I'll be here to pull you back."

Cody smiled faintly before squeezing his hand and drifting off into a long-awaited sleep.

**OOO**

Cody woke calmly and focused her eyes on the clock hanging on the wall; it was 7am. She felt groggy and her entire body was aching, but she was safe, therefore she was satisfied.  
>She turned her head and noticed that Spencer was sleeping soundly at her bedside... it was then that she began to feel her <em>'Reid Butterflies' <em>as she realised that he was _still _holding her hand.


	10. Chapter 10

Hotch walked through the corridors of the hospital, his usual suit and tie replaced with a pair of jeans and a dark green sweater. He stopped outside one of the doors and tapped his knuckle several times against it

"Come in!"

He pushed the door open slightly and peered around the side "Are you ready to go?" he asked

"Not really. But I'm aware I have no choice so…" said Cody in a cynical tone

"I know it's scary. But it's been a whole week now and the doctor says you're recovering well"

"I know" she nodded as she struggled to lift the large travel bag off the bed

"here, let me get that for you" said Hotch as he ran to take the bag from the still very fragile agent

"thanks… My stomach still hurts like crazy" Cody admitted in a gravelly voice.

The two walked through the hospital slowly; Hotch had Cody discharged at the front desk and walked her down the steps to his car.

**...**

As they drove closer and closer to Cody's street, the anxiety built up inside her.

"I organised for your psych appointments to be held at the psychiatric facility down at the VA. I put the letter with all of the dates in your bag" said Hotch as he stopped at a red light

"gee thanks" Cody replied sarcastically

"You only had _one_evaluation while you were in the hospital, Code. And this is a long process, you know that" he replied in a father-like tone

"I know. It just sucks; I feel fine. I wish I could just come back to work and forget all of this" she grasped her torso and winced as she spoke; a shooting pain shot through her stomach

"you are _not _ready to come back to work" Hotch observed before turning onto Cody's street. Cody sighed and rested her head on the car window when she noticed a tall, slender figure standing outside her apartment building.

"Spencer?" She uttered to herself. He was surrounded by cardboard boxes. Hotch parked up and Cody slid out of the car cautiously "What's going on?" she asked him as she peeked inside one of the boxes "my books?"

"It took me a lot to make him agree…" Spencer began

"Agree to what?"

"And obviously it's going against a few regulations…"

"What's going against regulations?"

"But he understands that it's probably best. At least for now" Spencer smiled

"Spencer if you don't tell me what's going on I will hit you very hard in that pretty little face. And don't think I won't"

He took a deep breath and smiled "You're moving in with me"

Cody's eyes grew wide and so did her smile "you're serious?"

"yeah. If you want to that is. It was Morgan's idea-"

"Of course I want to!" Cody interrupted before jumping into his arms and squeezing him tightly "oh, ouch. That was a mistake" she called out as she pulled away and gently rubbed her stomach.

**OOO**

Spencer turned his key in the stiff lock and pushed the front door open.

"After you" he said as he let Cody walk into the apartment. She loved it there; the entire place was covered in shelves, and every single one was overflowing with books and interesting artefacts. There was a small but comfortable couch facing a little T.V, and a matching armchair sat under a large window.

"So the spare bed can only be delivered on Tuesday so you can take my bed for now and I'll sleep on the couch."

"Hey, no I'll take the couch. It's only fair" Cody insisted

"Code, you're still recovering. I'm not letting you sleep on the couch."

Cody wrinkled her nose and pulled her hair up into a loose bun before sitting herself down in the armchair and staring out of the window.

…

"This is the last box for now. We can go back to your place and get the rest tomorrow" said Spencer as he placed one box on top of another.

"You know, we could have done this much quicker if you had let me help" said Cody who was curled up in the armchair reading a book

"You can't even manage to hug me without crying in pain. As if I'm going to let you carry boxes"

Cody smiled half-heartedly before returning to her book

"Code… Are you okay?" Spencer asked sincerely as he sat down on the couch

"I'd be lying if I said I was." She whispered "I'm just… I'm not Cody Syler anymore Spencer. I'm always going to be a 'survivor'. How can anybody expect me to get over this? I mean… am I ever going be okay again?" she began to cry a little.

Spencer rubbed his eyes and deliberated with himself for a moment, before finally standing up and beginning to spill everything "Okay. I would have preferred to not tell you this but… I think it'll help so…" he sighed "There was this case a while back; a guy was setting up live feeds to people's computers and waiting for them to commit a sin-"

"Hankel… Tobias Hankel; I read about it. Split personality disorder right?" she interrupted

"you read about it?" asked Spencer worriedly "Did you read about the case?"

"Uh no, just the profile. Why?"

"Because… uh, Tobias… He uh- he abducted me." Spencer began as Cody sat speechless "While his 'evil' side was physically and mentally torturing me, his 'good' side; Tobias, was injecting me with Dillaudid to ease the pain…" Cody gasped and covered her mouth in shock, tears once again filling up her eyes "anyway the- the team eventually found me and I managed to shoot him. It was hard… afterwards; I couldn't cope with what had happened to me, it was too much to deal with. I- uh I became… addicted to the Dillaudid. And I was using for a long time." He struggled to speak as he dragged up his horrible past "But eventually… I accepted help. I learned to deal with the memories, I went to meetings… And I've been clean for just over six months now-"

Cody jumped up and dived on top of Spencer. Wrapping her arms around him and burying her head in his neck "I'm so proud of you" she sniffled

"What I'm trying to say, Cody, is that… with help; this will all be just a _really _crappy memory one day"

She lifted her head and looked at her best friend "I'm mad at you for not telling me this" she croaked

"It's not something I like to burden people with" he admitted as he brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. There was a long, intense pause before Cody stood up

"I have to get up, my belly hurts." Spencer followed her off the couch and into the middle of the living room. Cody pulled him to face her "you're my inspiration" she smiled before walking into the kitchen "Do you have anything to eat?" she called out.

**OOO**

Spencer opened the bedroom door to be met by a pair of extremely attractive legs. Cody was rummaging through one of the boxes; she was wearing a long vest-top and a pair of boy-short panties.

"Oh- uh- I'm- I'm sorry I should have knocked f-first" Spencer stammered as he tried very hard to keep his attention on the wall and not Cody's body.

"It's fine Spence. It's not like you've never seen a girl in her underwear before" She laughed "Yes!" she cheered as she pulled a pair of pyjama shorts out of the box.

"I just came in to say goodnight" he smiled cutely as he watched Cody pull on her shorts and climb into his bed

"Oh, okay" she said uneasily

"So… Goodnight" he nodded and turned around, heading out of the door

"Spencer?" Cody called "y-you can say no if you want but… Would you maybe… stay in here with me? It'd just be for tonight I mean… It's my first night out of hospital since- well-"

"Sure" Spencer interrupted the stuttering Cody "I'll uh, I'll be in, in a sec"

Cody smiled in relief "Okay" she said before curling up under the sheets.

…

Spencer walked into the bedroom around ten minutes later. He had changed into a pair of loose pyjama bottoms and a relatively tight t-shirt. He plugged his cell phone into its charger and awkwardly got into bed next to Cody who was now asleep. Spencer relaxed into the mattress, his movements causing Cody to turn over and cuddle close to him.

He couldn't help but smile as he drifted off into a blissful sleep.

**OOO**

Cody opened her eyes momentarily and felt Spencer's body pressed up against hers, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

Drifting in and out of sleep, Cody shifted around to face him; accidentally waking him up as she turned.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Spencer said sleepily "I... obviously lose me sense of boundaries when I'm asleep" he began to pull his arms away, embarrassed of how close he was to her

"No don't" Cody grumbled as she grabbed his arms and pulled them back around her before falling asleep again.

Spencer's phone began to vibrate loudly on the bedside table. Cody felt his body disappear from her side as he climbed to answer the call.

"Hello? Okay when? –Okay, see you" Cody heard him jump out of bed and rummage through his closet. "Code, we have a case so I have to go"

Cody's reply was nothing but a groan into her pillow. Spencer threw on a shirt and began fastening his tie. He pulled a cardigan from his closet and buttoned it up hastily

"I'll be gone for a few days, but Garcia will no doubt come to see you" he said as he pulled on his corduroy pants

"mhmm" she mumbled

Spencer walked around the bed and knelt down, bringing him face to face with his half-asleep friend

"do whatever you have to do to make yourself at home, okay?" he said as he pushed the hair out of her face "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can; we already have a basic profile so it shouldn't be too complicated."

Cody opened her eyes sleepily and looked into Spencer's "stay?" she croaked

"Trust me, I would if I could. Just please call me if you need to. Make sure you take your meds and please please _please _promise me you will go to your psych appointments?" he begged with a puppy dog expression that she couldn't resist.

"Fine, I promise. Just… don't die okay?" she asked drowsily

Spencer laughed a little "I'll try my best" he whispered.

And with a sudden urge, he lifted her chin and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Get some more sleep" he whispered before getting up, grabbing his go-bag and leaving for work.

Cody lay there smiling for a moment; she couldn't possibly go back to sleep now.


	11. Chapter 11

The team had just gotten back from the jet; as usual Hotch headed straight for his office to begin the mountain of paperwork Strauss constantly demanded. Meanwhile, JJ sat with the rest of the team for a moment, soaking up the calmness before leaving to deal with the stack of cases that would no doubt be waiting on her desk.

"Good luck" Prentiss called with a smile as JJ left for her office

"I kinda feel bad that we leave them to do most of the paperwork" said Reid as he leaned back against his desk with his arms folded awkwardly across his chest

"By all means, go help" Prentiss jeered "I'm sure JJ would be thrilled" she teased

"On second thoughts… I'm sure they're both perfectly capable of handling it" Reid backtracked jokingly as he grabbed his go-bag from under his chair.

Morgan chuckled as he watched the two agents banter "c'mon, let's go grab a burger or something"

"oooh good plan! You know, I actually can't remember the last time I ate" said Prentiss as she picked up her bag and followed Morgan on his way to the elevators

"Uh I think I'll pass guys" Reid said in a distracted tone to the floor

Morgan stopped himself from trying to coax the young doctor into joining them "oohhhh I see… you gotta get home to the Mrs." He teased

"What? No! I- She-" Spencer stumbled

"Reid, I'm just kidding; don't blow a blood vessel" Morgan laughed as he patted the awkward doctor hard on the back

"I wish you'd remember that it was _you _who suggested she stay with me"

"I _do_ remember. I just enjoy watching you sweat" Morgan admitted as the three of them stepped into the elevator.

**OOO**

Spencer walked along the outdoor hallway of his apartment building until he eventually came to his front door.

"Code, are you in?" he called as he walked in. He threw his keys on the small coffee table and slammed the door closed with his foot. Suddenly, Cody came running in from the kitchen, her eyes seeming more glittery than when Spencer had left

"you're back!" she squeaked as she jumped into his arms. Spencer gave her a gentle squeeze and smiled sweetly into her hair. They pulled away from each other, their faces almost touching. Cody's eyes darted between his eyes and his mouth before she awkwardly stepped back and headed towards the kitchen  
>"um, how was the case?"<p>

"It went well" Spencer called out as he followed her "four 13 year old girls were all murdered in a park not far from their schools. But what made it weird was that they all attended school the days they were found dead"

"So no abduction present?"

"No"

"So with no abduction, I take it there was no-"

"Sexual component? No" Spencer finished

"Weird"

"Yeah, we thought so too. So then I thought… with the extreme rarity of prepubescent murders that don't involve a sexual aspect: it was more likely that the unsub was-"

"A woman" Cody finished for him

"Exactly…" Spencer began as he jumped up and sat on the kitchen counter "But with further investigation we realised that that too was incorrect"

"It was a kid?" Cody asked in a shocked tone

"Correct"

"Dude that's messed up" said Cody, breaking the intelligence of the conversation and drinking some juice from a carton in the fridge. Spencer nodded in agreement before hopping down from the counter and walking into the living room

"Wow" he called out as he observed the room

"You said to make myself at home so…" Cody laughed slightly as she walked up behind him, cuddling him by the waist like a child "I hope you don't mind"

"No n-not at all… What's so different?"

Cody smiled cutely "I wallpapered. And I put some pictures up." She said as she pointed around at the walls; Spencer noticed that instead of the careless, cream-coloured paint job he'd done after a few days of moving in, there was now a subtle, pale coffee-coloured wallpaper. And darted around the place were picture frames; some of Spencer's that he'd kept hidden in his closet (he'd have a word with her about snooping later) and some that he recognised from Cody's place. "And look, come here…" Cody continued as she pulled him by the arm towards the tiny spare room "Spare bed" she pointed with a smile.

"Oh it came, that's good... Oh my God the rest of your stuff! I completely forgot. Let's go get it now" Spencer panicked, feeling terrible that he'd forgotten

"No, no it's fine." Cody reassured him "I went with Garcia the night you left… See, my clothes are in those boxes there. My books and stuff are up on the shelves with yours, I hope you don't mind"

"Not at all"

"And all of my toiletries are in the bathroom. It turns out we both have green toothbrushes so I keep mine in the cabinet and yours is in the glass"

Spencer smiled at her homeliness (he could get used to this) It was then that he noticed all of her instruments in the corner of the living room.  
><strong><br>**"How many instruments does one, very tiny person need?" he asked in a higher voice than usual

Cody laughed at his question "They're all different! These two here are acoustic guitars. But that one is electric; plugs into that amplifier over there. This is a bass guitar and those two little ones over there are ukuleles." She grinned.

"Wow. I can only play a little piano" Spencer admitted

"Me too. And drums"

"Wow"

"I'll teach you a little guitar if you like?"

"Oh no, I'd be terrible" Said Spencer backing away

"Nuh-uh! Come here" Cody insisted as she picked up a large acoustic guitar and sat down gesturing for him to sit next to her. She placed the guitar on his lap and held onto the neck

"Here, do this" she said as began to strum out an easy pattern before watching as Spencer tentatively copied "good! Okay, now keep on doing that. A little faster –Good!" she began to move her fingers into different chords as he strummed "recognise it yet?" she smiled

"kind of" he said, concentrating really hard on strumming

Cody laughed and began to sing along "If I lay here- If I just… lay here. Would you lie with me and just for-get the world" even her 'joking around' singing voice was beautiful (great, yet another talent for Spencer to be jealous of)

"yes! I recognise it now" he smiled, proud of himself.

Cody stopped playing the chords as Spencer stopped strumming. They looked at each other, their faces growing closer once again

"Uh c-congratulations Doctor Reid; you just played your very first song" said Cody, awkwardly snapping out of it

"hardly" he smiled, his cheeks flustering

"You did! …Kind of"


	12. Chapter 12

"I can't believe I've been living with you for a whole month" said Cody as she sat herself down at Spencer's small dining table

"I can" Spencer replied, unwrapping the Chinese food that had just been delivered

"Oh thanks" Cody shouted in a sarcastic tone "good to know I'm so fun to live with" she laughed

"What? Oh- no I didn't mean it like that I-"

"Spencer, calm down; I was kidding"

Spencer smiled awkwardly as he placed the food on the table and sat down facing Cody; his fork at the ready.

"It still kinda confuses me that everyone's so cool about it" Cody said as she sipped her coke

"what do you mean?"

"I mean, there's so many rules regarding fraternization that we're breaking right now; even though we're sleeping in separate beds in separate rooms."

"Yeah but the team are the only people that know, so it's fine"

"Yes… But for all the team know we could be having sex 50 times a day" Cody countered passively

Spencer choked back on the noodles he was eating and began to splutter. Cody laughed in shock and stood up, patting Spencer hard on the back to stop him choking.

"th-ank you" Spencer wheezed

Cody laughed again "I didn't think I was _that _unattractive" she joked

"But the team know we're just friends right? I mean, they would never have allowed this if they thought we'd… Do anything" Spencer panicked, worrying about his position on the team

"Of course. They trust us." Cody said softly "they know how much our jobs mean to us" she smiled before returning to her food.

**…**

"There's a documentary starting in ten minutes about the discredited work of Freud and the effects he's had on the way we look at childhood development." Cody said in a ramble as she helped Spencer clean up

"Sounds good. Some of his most interesting work is the stuff that's been discredited" Spencer replied in an intellectual tone "we should watch it"

"you read my mind" She smiled before walking into the living room and throwing herself onto the couch. Spencer followed her, sitting next to her on the couch and turning on the TV when he felt a vibrating in his pocket

"It's JJ. We have a case… and it's bad" he said as he read the text and stood up quickly, heading for his bedroom "Sorry. Maybe record it and we'll watch when I get back?" he always felt guilty leaving her behind.

Cody sat quietly, deliberating with herself for a moment "I wanna come" she called out behind her

Spencer turned around and leaned his head around the corner of the living room "What?"

"I've been dying to come back to work, you know I have"

"But you have another 2 weeks of recovery" he said in a questioning voice

"I don't care" Cody stood up and began walking to her bedroom "I'm not on the medication anymore, my injuries have healed, I've been through thousands of psychological evaluations and passed them _all_ with flying colours! I'm bored of sitting around every case waiting for _you _to come home"

"Yes, I understand that Cody but you have another 2 weeks left for a reason" Spencer insisted as he followed her into her bedroom;

It was a small room, but she had made it her own. The walls were plain and white but she had covered one of them in Polaroid's and another in fairy lights. Her instruments were scattered in various corners and her double bed took up most of the floor space. Cody opened her closet and pulled out her go-bag as they argued

"Oh yeah and two weeks is going to make all the difference" Cody replied sarcastically as she began packing

"It really does, Cody! Please, by the time this case is over you'll be ready to come back to work" Spencer begged

"I'm ready _now_" She said as she zipped up her bag. Spencer walked over to her and grabbed her gently by the wrists

"Please… 2 more weeks?" he said calmly as he looked into her eyes

"But I'm fine" she whispered back

"I don't want to argue with you" he said in his usual attractive, gravelly voice.

**OOO**

Spencer walked through the bullpen towards the rest of the team who were already standing in a group with their go-bags ready

"hey guys, sorry" he said breathlessly as he joined the group

"Its fine. Briefing in the conference room and we're leaving for the jet in 30 minutes" said Hotch now that everyone was there.

"Hotch?" He heard a voice call from behind them. Hotch turned around to find Cody standing in the middle of the bullpen; she was wearing a pair of skinny, sandy-coloured chords with a navy blue sweater over a cream, lace shirt. Her long, curly hair had been tied up into a high, messy ponytail and she was holding her go-bag in one hand (a big difference from the 'I love New York' t-shirt and grey sweat pants Spencer had left her in).

"Syler… What are you doing here?" said Hotch in a startled tone.

Spencer rushed over to Cody who was walking towards the team "what are you doing here? You agreed to wait" he whispered anxiously

"I know you told me to forget it Spencer but after you left, I was just sitting there looking at my bag thinking 'why not?'. So I jumped in my truck and thought I'd give it a shot" she replied matter-of-factly as she walked straight past him "Hotch, I wanna come back to work; my bag is packed and I'm ready to go" she said as she came face-to-face with the rest of the team.

Hotch looked down at the eager agent; a familiar feeling washing over him "you're not due back for-"

"Another two weeks. Yes, I know. But I'm ready Hotch, I promise"

"No. I'm sorry, no. You're not coming on this case" he spoke like a protective father

"'No'? I honestly _do not _ understand what everybody's problem is with letting me come back to work!" shouted Cody with extreme frustration

"Syler, I made this mistake with Elle. I'm not doing the same with you"

There was a tense silence amongst the group; Cody stood gobsmacked by Hotch's comparison

"You're comparing me to agent Greenaway?" she muttered through gritted teeth

"I just-"

"-She was _unstable _Hotch_; _the guys told me everything! She wasn't able to sustain her place on the team after she was shot… Is that what you expect of me?" she could feel a lump forming in her throat as she spoke; genuinely offended by her boss' assessment

"of course not. I just need to be certain that you're ready to come back. I don't want you cracking under the pressure of this job"

"Oh I get it... I'm _damaged _now; I'm the next ticking time bomb and you're just waiting for me to go off, huh?" she said ironically "So I'm not capable of doing my job anymore? You know what, Hotch… if that's what you think of me then don't bother bringing me back at all" she said before turning around and quickly storming out, the rest of the team left in complete shock.

"Did... she just quit?" Prentiss asked worriedly.


	13. Chapter 13

Just a short chapter as I'm aware I haven't updated in a while. Keep reviewing, it really inspires a writer to keep going :)

* * *

><p>Cody sat on the couch, her knees up to her chin and her back to the front door. The quiet sound of pre-recorded audience laughter mumbled through the apartment as she read her book, paying no attention to the old 90's sitcom running on the TV.<br>A rusty clicking began behind her before the door creaked open and Spencer's familiar footsteps scuffled into the apartment. The door creaked again before it slammed shut and his keys jangled as they landed on the small end table next to the door.

"I'm not speaking to you" Cody croaked quietly, not turning around once.

There was a long silence "fine" she finally heard him mutter. He'd been gone for 5 days and they hadn't been in touch once; the incident in the bullpen still very raw on Cody's mind. She could hear his footsteps click off into the kitchen, an abnormal rhythm forming against the tiles.

Cody raised an eyebrow, but her stubbornness kept her from peering around at him. She could hear cabinet doors creaking open and slamming shut, objects hitting the work tops and drawers sliding open and closed; _what is he doing? _  
>His footsteps returned from the kitchen and stopped at the dining table. He threw what sounded like a lot of glass objects onto the table before pulling out a chair. Finally, Cody swallowed her pride and gazed over the back of the couch to where the dining table stood<p>

"Spencer" she gasped quietly, all of her anger evaporating. His face was covered in deep purple bruises; there was a small cut across his cheek bone and a very sore-looking busted lip. The table was covered in various bottles of rubbing alcohols and antiseptic liquids, and it was very clear now that his abnormal footsteps had been him limping around the apartment. "What the hell happened to you?" she cried, a lump forming in her throat

"multiple unsubs" he replied bluntly as he soaked a cotton bud in antiseptic liquid, struggling as his arm throbbed with the slightest movement

"Here" Cody said as she jumped up and hurried over to the table, taking a seat next to him and soaking the cotton bud for him

"Thanks" said Spencer, every word he said seemed to ache

"So you were jumped?" she asked as she gently pressed the bud against his injured cheek bone

"kind of" he winced as the liquid stung his open cut "we caught one of them. I went in to process the crime scene when the second guy just… appeared out of nowhere and attacked me"

"oh my god, what did you do?" she asked, soaking a fresh cotton bud

"I fought back" he said matter-of-factly "It was embarrassing" he laughed a little

"this isn't funny, Spencer. You were attacked! And they just let you come home in this state!" she was furious, pressing a little too hard on his busted lip

"ow!" Spencer called out as he pulled her hand away from his face "I got sent home on emergency _actually_. The team's still out in Florida"

"oh" Cody whispered "…processing is _my _job" she realised

"yeah. Hey, I thought you weren't talking to me anyway"

"this could have been me" she ignored him

"I guess…" Spencer said passively, trying not to dwell on it

"I made such a fuss about coming on this case. But if I had… I would have been really hurt" she pondered sadly before pressing more gently on Spencer's lip "I'm sorry, I should have just been patient"

"It's fine" he smiled through the bruises.

Cody smiled back sweetly as she stood up and hurried into the kitchen for some ice

"you're not… like Elle" Spencer called out "Hotch just- he's scared of- I don't know. You're just- you're nothing like Elle, okay?" he stammered, struggling to find the best thing to say

"thanks" she said, returning with a cluster of ice cubes wrapped in a kitchen towel "I know I overreacted. I just- I don't know, hearing someone question my ability because of… well, I guess I just got really defensive"

"I understand that" he smiled sympathetically, taking the icepack and placing it on his jaw.

"Hey do you not need to go to the hospital?" Cody asked worriedly

"No it's fine. You make me feel better" Spencer said in his awkward yet cute manner

she smiled back again, her stomach doing tiny little flips "Do I still have a job?" she laughed

"I'm sure you can give Hotch the 'puppy dog' look on Monday" he giggled.


	14. Chapter 14

It was ice cold in Virginia; the air was crisp and clear, while the pavement was coated in a thin layer of glittering ice. The smooth soles of Spencer's brogues slipped and skidded, making him almost fall over every two seconds and eventually give up, using Cody as a human prop.

"Careful." She warned, as he slid across a particularly slippery patch, causing him to nearly drop his coffee cup and clench his hand tightly around her shoulder

"Why aren't _you_ struggling?" he called out in frustration

"because unlike _some __people_" she began, shooting a jokingly sarcastic look at Spencer "I wore weather appropriate shoes today" she lifted one foot off of the ground, revealing a pair of tattered snow boots.

Walking through the icy streets, the pair looked utterly perfect together. Spencer's flailing legs were dressed in a pair of skinny brown cords, while his shirt and sweater vest wear hidden underneath a brown vintage Pea coat and an extra long woollen scarf wrapped several times around his neck. Cody's old snow boots were accompanied by a pair of thick, black, patterned tights. And her black bodycon dress was wrapped up underneath a big woollen doll coat.

"What are the chances of us getting a case today?" Cody asked, slightly anxious at the thought of her first day back being so stressful

"Pretty high. JJ's been swamped in requests; it's pretty likely to be case-after-case for quite a while" the thought made Cody's stomach turn in terror; Hotch had just about forgiven her for her outburst at the bureau 2 weeks earlier, and even then she was still on thin ice…

Just as the thought passed through her mind, Spencer's legs slid from underneath him on, what seemed to be a patch of _literally_thin ice.

**OOO**

"Hey, love birds" Morgan teased, as the two strolled into the bullpen. Spencer shot a sarcastic smile as he walked past and headed for his desk "well did _somebody_ have a nice trip?" Morgan laughed, as he turned to notice the large wet patch on Spencer's backside. Cody giggled guiltily before placing her coffee cup on her desk and unbuttoning her coat.

"Oh _ha __ha_; very creative, Derek" Spencer replied in a cynical tone.

**…****  
><strong>  
>"There's a serial killer in Ohio, Hotch and Rossi are already out there; they've asked for the rest of us to be flown over as soon as I brief you" JJ said abruptly as she walked past the row of desks, handing out brown files as she went.<p>

"This can't be good" said Morgan as he stood up from his desk and followed the beautiful blonde up to the conference room.

Spencer grimaced slightly to himself as he picked up the file from his desk and began to follow Derek. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked sincerely, as he turned to find his best friend leaning against her chair in a daze.

"Huh? Oh! I'm fine" she sighed through a smile before picking up her coat and joining Spencer.

**OOO**

"That's total bogus!" Prentiss declared with a laugh as she stood in the kitchenette stirring her coffee

"It's not, Emily!" Morgan called from the armchair close by

"So you would honestly choose having a PHD over having a wife and children?" she asked in disbelief as she walked over to join him; stumbling as the plane hit a slight turbulence

"I think he's lying" JJ added with a smirk

"W- How- I… Reid! Help a brother out" Morgan gave up "what would you choose?"

Spencer was lying comfortably against the corner of the long cream couch opposite of Morgan and the two female agents. Cody was lying on her stomach facing him, their faces close enough to touch. She smiled as Morgan questioned her best friend.

"Well I already have the PHD-" Spencer began before being cut off by Morgan

"So you chose PHD. See! I'm not the only one" Derek justified to JJ and Prentiss; who sat unimpressed by his attempt

"well… technically I still have plenty of time to find a wife. Psychologically, I'm now at a suitable age to find an appropriate life-mate"

"God, Reid. You're so romantic" Cody teased

"Statistically…" he continued, ignoring her sly remark "by this age, a person has gained enough relationship experience to mould an accurate view of their ideal partner, and begin to find them" he smiled

"relationship experience? You?" laughed Derek

"_yes_" replied an embarrassed Spencer

"now, now boys." Said JJ, sensing the young agents feelings "_there __was __Lila_" she sang

Cody's eyes widened in curiosity "who's Lila?" she asked, revealing a wide, stunning smile

"J-Just some…" Spencer trailed off

"Lila Archer" JJ interrupted, enjoying every moment of revealing Spencer's love life

"Lila Archer;why do I know that name? _Lila __Archer_, Lila Arch- The actress?" she shouted, as her jaw dropped –the smile still evident on her face

"Yes… the actress" he mumbled

"Wow. And you never thought to tell me this?" asked Cody excitedly, her eyes locked on Spencer's

"It's not something I just randomly blurt out in conversation" Spencer countered

"Dude, it's _Lila __Archer_; even _I_ would brag if I'd been with her" she laughed. They were still face-to-face.

Spencer felt a little defeated by Cody's enthusiasm -he couldn't explain it. It was weird seeing her so comfortable with the thought of him being with another woman. It was almost as if he wanted her to be jealous, but he couldn't understand why.

**…**

Conversation had moved on from Spencer's love life (to his relief). The trivial chit-chat amongst the group was comforting, taking everybody's mind off the particularly disturbing case they were about to embark on. Prentiss and JJ swung from side to side in their armchairs; giggling at Morgan's anecdotes, while Spencer still lay against the corner of the couch, looking down at Cody who was playing whimsically with the end of his scarf. Cody raised her eyes slightly, noticing Spencer looking down at her

"hey" she whispered, a cute smile tugging at the corners of her mouth

"hey" he replied, his smile glittering in his eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

Just a very short chapter. More to be uploaded soon.

* * *

><p><strong>OOO<strong>

As the team rushed into the police department, they noticed Hotch and Rossi surrounded by police officers; a sense of urgency buzzed in the air as waves of uniformed men and women rushed around them. Hotch raised his brow slightly, noticing the rest of his team sauntering in through the door. He patted a superior-looking officer on the back in an attempt to excuse himself from the conversation before sternly walked across the carpeted bullpen towards his team

"Glad you're all finally here; we need to get to work right away" he addressed "JJ, we have local media trying to get tip-offs about the case, they're also trying to go ahead with nicknaming the unsub in the press."

"I'm on it" JJ nodded, before leaving the group and heading in the direction Hotch pointed out

"Prentiss, we have a basic profile; I need you to build on it –go over things we may have missed, I'll have one of the officers drive you to the latest scene" He continued

"Got it" Emily said efficiently

"Morgan, I need to see you in the sheriff's office for a moment"

Morgan nodded understandingly in response, leaving the two youngest agents feeling confused and belittled

"What about us?" Spencer asked before subtly clearing his throat and gesturing towards Cody

Hotch analysed the two in front of him for a brief moment "Reid –Geographical profile, Cody –go view the latest three victims; pick up on any similarities in the bodies." He said blankly, before walking with Morgan towards the sheriff's office.

"He's still mad at me" Cody said sadly

"Don't worry about it Code, he's acting funny with me too. He's probably just stressed about the case" said Spencer in an attempt to comfort her "I better get to work" he said as he darted for the coffee machine.

Cody let out a half-hearted smile and left for the SUV.

**OOO**

"Hold on Garcia while I put you on speaker" said Prentiss before pulling her cell phone away from her ear and placing it on the table. It had been a full day and sleepless night since the rest of the team had arrived. They'd been working non-stop on what was beginning to look like a dead end case.

"What you got for us baby girl?" asked Morgan

_"Well, Cody was right about the puncture wounds in the chests of the victims... definitely screws –and not the slow, comfortable kind-"_

"Garcia..." Hotch interrupted

_"right, sorry. Um, okay so I ran through every record of the victims last days before their abductions, and actually came up with a common link between all of them."_

"genius" whispered Morgan

_"They all carried out the exact same shopping trip in the exact same store. I have copies of their receipts –dates, times... it's kinda freaky."_

"So the fact that they all made identical shopping trips suggests the stuff wasn't for them" observed Rossi

"And whoever it wasfor could be a witness" added Cody

"Or the unsub" Hotch finished abruptly "thanks Garcia"

_"Adios"_

"Okay, it's late. We can continue from this point first thing tomorrow morning; let's all get some rest" Hotch advised.

The rest of the team nodded in relief and immediately began collecting their things from various desks in the police department. Cody grabbed her messenger bag as Spencer grabbed his; they smiled over to each other, a blush forming in both of their faces.

"So do we have our own rooms or am I crashing with you tonight?" Cody asked casually with not a speck of flirtatiousness in her voice. Spencer opened his mouth before being cut off by their increasingly uptight superior

"We have our own rooms." He confirmed harshly, almost as if Cody had propositioned Spencer right there amongst the desks.

"Oh, okay" she replied feebly before hurrying over to Reid and linking her arm in his.

* * *

><p>So Hotch is being pretty mean don't you think? Not long until you find out why!<p>

What are _your_ views on why you think Hotch is being so hostile?


	16. Chapter 16

She stood in front of the large mirror which hung over the dated wallpaper in the centre of the wall. She stared deeply at the prominent collarbones which were just about visible above the neckline of her sweater. She moved her hand and began running her fingers over them delicately; watching as she did so in the mirror and remembering how skeletal she had been just a few short months ago, _'__so __slim__' _several voices of her past echoed in her head. Her eyes shifted focus again as her hands followed, this time over her small chest and halting at her torso. She wrapped her small hands around the sides of her waist; cringing as her fingertips almost touched, but exhaling slightly when she smoothed her hands over her petite curves and rested them on her hips. She shifted her sweater slightly, accidentally revealing a flash of deep purple scars across her midriff. Her eyes flickered with panic back up to her face, settling on the bright green eyes of her reflection. She tucked her soft hair behind her ears to get a clearer view, now noticing the finer details of her face; her eyelashes were jet black and thick as if she had been born with a permanent layer of mascara, her skin was porcelain-white with light freckles across her nose and cheeks, her cheekbones were prominent –just like her jaw line, and the corners of her mouth held a natural smile _'__such __a __beautiful __girl__' _more voices echoed, _'__you__'__re __pretty __much __perfect__' _She squirmed at how people envied her –she was never 'perfect', not inside anyway. Bravely, she shifted her hands back to her stomach, grasping her sweater and lifting it slightly to reveal the first visible imperfection she had ever had. She stared intensely into the mirror, echoes of compliments and judgments swirling around her head, getting louder and louder –swallowing her up as she stared

"Code?" A voice called from the other side of the hotel door

"Coming!" she called out as she smoothed down her sweater, grabbed her bag and rushed for the door. "Hey" she smiled as she opened it, revealing a tall, attractive man on the other side

"You look well-rested. That's good" Said Spencer as he shifted away from the door, allowing Cody to lock it behind her.

"Thanks, I feel much better today. You look handsome" she smiled up at him, just in time to watch his cheeks flush slightly.

Just at that moment, the sound of a man clearing his throat came from behind them. Spencer turned his head awkwardly, waiting to be greeted by a stern-looking Hotch. "Oh hey, Morgan" he smiled in relief

"How did I know you two would be together?" he said in a slightly cynical tone, almost implying insult to the two agents

"Because our rooms are next to each other" Cody replied in a sisterly voice, trying to make light of his comment

"All I'm saying is you guys seem to be getting closer and closer" he replied in a judgemental manor as he passed them in the hallway and began to walk ahead

"What are you suggesting?" Cody called to him, she could feel the anger beginning to bubble up inside of her "in case you're forgetting, it was _your _idea for us to live together!"

Spencer stood shyly with his hands in his pockets -he didn't say a word. Cody turned to see him awkwardly twisting his mouth, a look of contemplation clear on his face

"Nice way to start our day, huh?" She said jokingly.

**OOO**

For the rest of the day Spencer tried to keep to himself. He kept his head down (besides the moments he found himself gazing over at Cody) and got on with whatever Hotch asked him to do. He didn't understand the hostility the two men seemed to feel towards his relationship with her, and why it had so suddenly came to a head. Of course their friendship was stronger than the average kind; yes they had kissed, yes he had found himself on more than one occasion holding her while she slept… and yes! He couldn't stop staring at her, and smiling when she looked at him, he'd even felt jealous when she told him about her date –_'__but __the __guys __don__'__t __know __any __of __this!__' _he thought to himself.

After a moment or two of silence, his eyes widened "they know" he whispered to himself. It was then that Spencer realised what was going on. Hotch was noticing their chemistry –the chemistry they were both trying so hard to suppress. _'__That __was __why __he __wanted __to __see __Morgan __in __the __office the day we arrived__' _he thought _'__to __make __him __aware __of __his __suspicions!__'  
><em>  
>Was letting Cody move in with him a test? Were they close to losing their jobs? Spencer's head rattled with thoughts and he could feel his whole body filling with panic; he didn't want to lose Cody –he loved her. But his job was his life, and fraternization was a serious thing to be accused of.<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

"Hey- hey, Morgan" Spencer called awkwardly as he ran through the bullpen in an attempt to catch up with Derek "can I talk to you?"

"Sure, kid. What's up?" said Morgan, turning his head slightly as he continued to walk. He seemed slightly less uptight than earlier.

"I think I know why- uh- why there's been some- some tension" Reid stammered, tripping over his own feet as he followed trying to keep up at Morgan's side. "And I just think you should know that nothing at all is going on between myself and Syler" he explained, carefully remembering to call Cody by her surname.

Morgan stopped outside the door of one of the interview rooms in the precinct, turning to Reid and letting out a frustrated sigh "Well you need to start making that a little more clear, man. You know I hate being a hard ass, and believe me, so does Hotch. But we gotta stay professional, kid."

Spencer couldn't understand the logic behind any of it; _they_were the ones that allowed Cody to move in with him, and _they _were the ones stressing and pushing for the two to be good friends when Cody first started at the BAU. "We _are_professional. There's nothing going on between us besides friendship. You and Garcia flirt all the time, why has Hotch never come down so hard on you?"

"Because Garcia doesn't come on cases with us, we don't spend all of our time together, and she doesn't come home with me every night." Derek countered quickly before a flash of understanding appeared across his face. "Maybe you should go speak to Hotch."

"I will…" nodded Reid as he watched the muscular agent enter the interview room 'Mr Kaine…' he heard him say before the door closed behind him and his voice became no more than a mumble.

…

Hotch leaned stiffly against the large mahogany desk in the sheriff's office. His hands were full with numerous papers and his face held the same stern look Spencer had seen when he first arrived on the case.

"Hotch?" Spencer croaked as he tapped on the open door "may I have a quick word?"...

OOO

Cody took and deep breath in and exhaled slowly –it seemed like the first time since the beginning of the case that she had actually had a chance to breathe. She pushed her hair up through her fingers and tied it into a loose ponytail; swaying her head slightly to allow her curls to fall. She watched as the unsub was carted off in an ambulance and turned in an attempt to find a member of her team to celebrate –Spencer.

"Hey! I think… besides the bullet in the unsubs back; this case ended rather well" She said jokingly as she strolled across the suburban lawn over to her best friend

"yeah, just swimmingly" he replied in a harsh, sarcastic tone before wandering off towards JJ.

"Have I missed something?" Cody asked as she turned to Prentiss who had walked up beside her

"maybe it's just the adrenaline wearing off?" Prentiss reassured the younger agent "come on, let's go"

It was then that Cody began to notice Spencer acting strange. He opted to take a different SUV back to the police department, ignored her in the hotel when the team met in the lobby of their hotel, and when Cody had jumped in next to him on the way to the airport, he spent the whole car ride staring out of the window. This was _not _the Spencer Cody called her best friend; he was acting cold, disinterested, even a little mean.

OOO

"Finally a chance to rest" Rossi declared through a sigh as the team filed onto the plane.

As usual, Hotch took a seat in the large cream-coloured recliner in the corner, while Prentiss and Morgan slid into two of the four seats which sat around a table by the windows. JJ and Rossi relaxed into the large cream couch as Cody shuffled over to one of the two remaining seats across from Morgan and Prentiss; she smiled as she curled up into the corner of the seat and waited for Spencer to take his usual position next to her. But after a moment or two, she realised he hadn't sat down; instead, he had sat in a single recliner opposite Hotch with his back to her.

With tears building in her eyes, Cody turned her head into her travel pillow and closed her eyes. With that, Morgan and Prentiss exchanged a glance before pulling out a pack of cards and beginning to play quietly.


	18. Chapter 18

The team strolled through the bullpen of Quantico; they were exhausted, and carrying their go-bags as if they each weighed a ton. Every attempt Cody made to interact with her best friend failed as Spencer did everything in his power to ignore her. Frustrated, she diverted from the group and charged for the ladies bathroom; tears threatening to surface in her eyes.

"You're back!" Cody was greeted with a familiar face as she pushed through the door of the bathroom. Penelope was standing facing a row of mirrors above the sinks; a bright red lipstick in her hand "I thought you guys were going straight home" she began to babble before being interrupted by Cody bursting into floods of tears and running up to her like a hysterical child.

"Oh my gosh, Cody! Ssssh what's happened?" she asked with worry, stroking the back of her head.

"I don't know what I've done." Cody cried

"Ssshhh, what do you mean 'what you've done'?"

"Spencer –he's not speaking to me!" she wailed.

**OOO**

After around 20 minutes of crying to Garcia, Cody left her in her office and went to find the rest of the team.

"Hey, JJ have you seen Reid?" she called across the desks

"He left about 15 minutes ago. I thought you went with him" JJ called back.

"Nope." she said through gritted teeth; her upset had vanished, only anger bubbled inside her now "see you Monday, Jaje" she waved, trying her best to keep composed.

**OOO**

Spencer placed a bowl of soup on the dining table and pulled up a chair. He sighed as what felt like a million thoughts shot around his head at once. As he swirled his spoon around, he heard the rusty clicking of the front door.

"Thanks for waiting" Cody said sarcastically as she slammed the door behind her and walked through to the kitchen

"I knew your truck was there. There wasn't really a point in me hanging around" Spencer replied, almost as if he didn't care

"It would have been nice, is all. You've kinda been acting like you don't wanna be around me" she pressed as she rummaged through the refrigerator

"For god's sake, Cody, we're not joined at the hip!" Snapped Spencer to Cody's shock –it was completely out of character, and extremely harsh. "Not everything revolves around our personal lives; we're FBI agents who work under the same unit. And that's the end of it!"

"So… what are you saying?" Cody began with a croaky voice, once again holding back tears and making her way towards him "you don't want to be my friend any more, or you never were?" there was a long, intense silence as Spencer stood staring at the floor –a look of frustration clear on his face. "Well?- " she asked in a raised voice, before being interrupted

"Just… Just leave me alone" Spencer said weakly. It was then that the tears began to surface and her whole body began to tremble in anger and utter horror

"You asshole" she hissed in a shaky voice before storming out and into her bedroom, leaving the usually-kind Spencer glued to the floor.


	19. Chapter 19

After around ten minutes, Cody emerged from her bedroom; she was still upset and finding it hard to comprehend what had just happened.

"Just tell me what I've done. Tell me what I've done and I can fix it" she said quietly, trying to stop her voice from cracking

"I don't want to fix it" Spencer whispered. He was sitting on the couch with his back to her; he didn't dare look at her for the thought of breaking down in tears

"What?" Cody asked in a sob

"Nothing has happened, Code- Cody." He said, correcting himself and using her full name "Nothing has happened, and there's nothing to talk about"

She stood for a moment, thinking over his behaviour "You don't want me here any more?"

"I didn't say that" Spencer replied as he felt his stomach twist in anxiety

"You don't want me here anymore, and you're not even going to give me a reason-"

"The reason is that I just can't stand being this close to you anymore!" Spencer screamed as he rose from the couch and turned to face his broken friend who was standing speechless; her irritated-red eyes full with tears. She stared at his face for a second, before turning aggressively and heading for her bedroom "Wait, Cody, I didn't- you've-"

"Don't tell me I've 'misunderstood', Spencer!" she screamed

"Wait, Cody, what are you doing?" he asked in a flutter of panic. He grabbed her arm in an attempt to pull her back, a hatred for what he'd done welling up inside him

"Don't touch me!" she shouted as she shrugged his hand off uncompromisingly and ran into her room, slamming the door in Spencer's face and leaving him standing outside defeated.

**OOO**

Cody ripped through her closet, pulling out everything she owned and stuffing it all into the large travel bag she had dumped on the bed. She hated crying, it made her feel embarrassed. But she couldn't help it; Spencer, her _best _friend; the one person she was sure would never hurt her, had made it very clear that he didn't want to be close to her anymore. The tears dripped down her perfect porcelain skin as she sniffled and packed her things aggressively.

There was a knock on her bedroom door "what?" she called half-heartedly. Spencer walked into the dark room; his usually tall, thin posture slumped

"I- I'm sorry" he whispered in his gravelly yet articulate voice

"You know if you'd have just _told me_ you had a problem being my best friend then I could have left here a lot sooner!" She didn't look at him once through the darkness, trying to focus her attention on packing.

Spencer's voice was becoming more and more desperate "Cody, pl- l-let me explain?" she continued to ignore him, throwing a pair of old converse into her bag "…Okay fine, you're right, I do have a problem with being your best friend but it's not beca-"

"Oh! So this whole time, it's been- It's been pretend!"

"No- Cody, listen to me, I don't- I-" He rushed over to her side, too frustrated with her ignoring him, he grabbed her firmly by both wrists and pulled her towards him so that they were face to face. Cody fought to pull away from him; she was too upset to reason with him now; Spencer was everything to her, and now he seemed to be slipping away.

"I've had a problem being your friend because-" he stopped. Although she was struggling to move away from him, he stared at her for a brief moment. It was then he felt an overwhelming feeling, one he'd never felt before. He didn't care about his job, he didn't care about what Morgan or Hotch or any of the team had to say. He wanted her, he'd wanted her since the first time he saw her. And he was sick of pretending that he didn't. He let go of her wrists, grabbed her by the face and kissed her roughly on the lips.

Cody was startled; _Spencer was kissing her?_

He pulled away and began to stagger backwards "I'm so, so sorry, Cody. I-I don't know what came over me".


	20. Chapter 20

She watched him walk backwards terrified in the thought that he'd crossed the line. But instead, Cody was overcome with an urge, a _need_ for him. Now, it was her turn; she ran at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately like she'd wanted to do for the past year. She tangled her fingers into his hair as he moved his hands around her back and lifted her off the ground in order to kiss her with more ease; Cody pressed herself into him, her hips pushing into his causing a deep moan in the back of his throat. With that, Spencer deepened the kiss as much as physically possible, grasping his fingers into her body; making her gasp and break the kiss in an attempt to catch her breath.

"I want you" Spencer whispered into the crook of her neck as he caressed her hips and thighs. Cody had no reply; instead she pulled his head up and pressed her lips against his. Spencer set her back down on the floor and took her hands in his, continuing the kissing as they stumbled eagerly towards the bed.

Spencer had never been good with women. He didn't date; therefore he didn't have a lot of sex. His hands began to shake as he ran them through her hair and lay down next to her on the bed.

"This- this is all kinda sudden" Spencer whispered, his voice shaking as his hands moved awkwardly through her hair.

Sensing his nerves, Cody, pulled herself into him and began unbuttoning his shirt slowly, kissing him passionately as she did it. "Do you want to stop?" She whispered back. With that, Spencer felt her hands begin to caress his bare chest. He shook his head eagerly and with a small shot of confidence, shifted his hands from her hair and started to move them down to the seam of her t-shirt

"wait, stop!" she grabbed his hand which was about to touch her stomach and pushed it away from her body.

Spencer pulled back "I'm sorry" he said; scared that he may have gone too far

"No, Spencer, _I'm _sorry. I just don't want you to… see me_"_ she wrapped her arms around her stomach and buried her head into his bare chest.

"Cody, look at me… you are beautiful. _Everything _about you is beautiful" he whispered "but we won't do this until you're ready, I've waited a year… I can wait a little longer"

Cody looked into Spencer's honest eyes for a moment "I don't want to wait any more" she said softly before rising up onto her knees. She took a long, deep breath and lifted her t-shirt over her head, throwing it into the corner of the room.

He looked at her for a minute; her beautifully pale skin seemed to glow through the darkness of the room, her long messy hair covered her breasts in a beautiful, mermaid-like way and her forearms were wrapped tightly around her middle -guarding her bare skin. Spencer proceeded with caution, he knelt up on the bed, joining her face-to-face; he placed a hand on the back of her head and kissed her gently on the lips, his other hand wrapping itself around her and pulling her in closer to him. With no space between them, Cody moved her arms from her stomach and wrapped them around Spencer's neck, deepening the kiss ever so slightly before he broke away and rested his forehead against hers

"Do you trust me?" he asked

Cody closed her eyes, took a deep breath and nodded a little. Spencer leaned backwards and could now see the scars she was so desperately trying to hide; they covered her entire stomach in silvery-purple swirls, deepening the lines of her abs and travelling up towards her ribs like branches. Spencer ran the palms of his hands across her scarred body before pulling her close to him again "like I said… beautiful" he whispered into her ear. And with that, he was met with the most meaningful kiss they had ever shared.

Cody traced her small fingers down Spencer's bare torso and hooked them onto the rim of his pants, pulling at the solid buckle and slipping off his leather belt eagerly. She unzipped his pants and pulled them down effortlessly; pushing him onto his back and pulling them off, leaving him in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.

Spencer grabbed her by the face and kissed her forcefully, flipping her onto her back and fumbling with the button on her skinny jeans. He eventually pulled them off along with her panties after some assistance from Cody, and was finally free to run his hands over her soft, bare thighs.

Even the slightest brush of his hands against her skin made her body shiver. Spencer may have been nervous, but he knew _exactly_ how to build her up with anticipation; he moved his lips down her neck slowly, leaving little kisses and breathing heavily as he went. He grasped her hips vigorously and in response she tangled her fingers into his hair. Spencer hesitated as he came to her breasts, waiting a few seconds and building up her anticipation before finally grazing over them with his tongue, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Spencer" she gasped as he let his tongue move down the centre of her body

he stopped, his insecurities suddenly returning "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, this is good. It's just- the anticipation" she admitted

He looked up at her, relieved to see her beautiful smile. "Anticipating is half the fun" he disputed before continuing to lay kisses along her stomach.

"This isn't fair" Cody moaned, as her back arched under every single spine-tingling kiss

still nervous, Spencer slid his fingers inside of her "Better?" He asked as Cody let out a moan

"Oh my god" she whimpered digging her fingers into his lean shoulders. Spencer began to move his finger at a quickening pace while crawling back up to be face to face with her; he watched as her eyes clamped shut and her head tilted back in ecstasy. It was then that he began to move against her grinding hips as she let out a moan before sinking into the mattress and pulling Spencer down into an aggressive kiss "You've done that before" she whispered in a stunned voice

"Once or twice" he glanced down at her smiling

Cody moved her delicate hands down Spencer's surprisingly toned body, watching him tense up as she tickled his torso. She pushed him onto his back and moved to his side, gently pressing her body into his. Spencer wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead gently

"would you freak out if I said I think I love you?" Cody uttered

"I wouldn't freak out... I'd be sceptical considering you're in a post-orgasmic state, and the chemicals travelling to your brain right now could-" Before he could finish his sentence, she had climbed up and straddled his hips.

"Chemicals aside; I really do love you, Spencer"

"Chemicals aside; I love you too" he smiled, in awe of the moment. And with one final kiss; she lowered herself onto him.

"Oh- God" she whispered as she felt him fill her up. She began to rock her hips, gathering a steady pace. Spencer then began to meet each movement with a hard thrust, working with her body and holding onto her hips firmly,"oh god, Spencer" said Cody in a breathless whisper, she couldn't believe how amazing he was; every thrust seemed to get deeper and deeper, making her back arch and her entire body shiver. She leaned forward, pressing her body against his as they moved together passionately. Spencer wrapped his arms around her and rolled her onto her back; he began to move slowly thrusting deep inside her. Cody's fingernails scratched and dug into his lean, yet surprisingly muscular back as he moaned into her neck

"Spencer" she whispered as she felt the second wave of orgasm overcome her. Her arched back slumped satisfied as Spencer started moving soft and slow; kissing her lovingly as he did. "Don't stop" Cody gasped into his mouth. Spencer looked at her as she continued to relax underneath him, moaning softly.

He grabbed both of her legs and held onto her thighs as he began to pick up pace once again. Cody's moans grew louder and louder with every thrust. Until eventually, Spencer couldn't hold on any longer, and came deep inside of her; his moans beginning to blend with the muffled screams of his beautiful friend. He collapsed onto her, their sweating body's gasping for air.

After a minute or two, Spencer lifted his head ever so slightly; just enough to begin laying cute kisses along Cody's collarbone

Cody smiled in the thought of what had just happened "just so you know…" she began drowsily "…our friendship? Completely tainted"

Spencer laughed before placing one last kiss in the crook of her neck "I suppose we could always be… more than friends?"


	21. Chapter 21

_A paragraph written like this is a memory._

* * *

><p><em><em>The sun pierced through the window and onto Cody's sleeping eyes which flickered slightly as she began to wake; she was bewildered and slightly confused when she realised she had slept on the couch. With a puzzled expression, she turned her head to find Spencer cuddling into her from behind. After a second of realisation, she began to giggle.

"wha-" Spencer mumbled as he sat up slowly, his hair was sticking up in every direction and he was still half asleep before beginning to understand why she was laughing "oh my god" he said, causing Cody's laughter to grow louder. "Well… we were- um, we were busy last night I see"

"yeah" she chuckled before turning around and placing a loving kiss on the corner of Spencer's mouth "I need a water or something, do you want anything?" she asked as she flitted across the living room and pulled on one of Spencer's t-shirts which were folded in a pile on the arm chair.

"Uh no, I'm good" he said through a yawn as he stretched his arms and legs along the full the length of the couch.

"Okay" Cody replied with a smile as she walked through to the kitchen. And with memories of last night flooding back so quickly, she couldn't seem to stop grinning.

...

_"I suppose we could always be… more than friends?" said Spencer, a little tentatively_

"_What?" uttered Cody, an exited smile appearing across her tired face_

_"uh-I-um-we-" he stammered before being interrupted by a kiss_

_"Really?" she asked as she pulled away_

_"yeah" he said with a little more confidence, kissing her as he spoke_

_"do you think that's a good idea?" Cody asked in-between kisses "I mean, with Hotch and stuff" she said as he continued to kiss her "it's a little risky"_

_"we could… maybe…" kiss "not tell anyone?" Spencer pondered_

_Cody gently pushed his face away from hers "you want to keep it a secret?" she asked, a little surprised_

_"Cody, I'd scream it from the rooftops if it didn't hold the risk of losing my job… And yours" he explained_

_"I know, it's just… a relationship… and not being able to tell anybody?"_

_Spencer paused for a long moment as he watched her get up from the bed and wrap a blanket around her body "You're right- I mean- It'd probably never work" he agreed after some time to think_

_"but I meant it… when I said I was in love with you" Cody reassured him hesitantly "It's just- I just-"_

_"I know" Spencer interrupted with an understanding smile before climbing off the bed and wrapping his arms around Cody's shoulders; the height difference so significant, he could rest his chin on the top of her head "I love you too. I guess I've loved you since the first day I saw you. I'm only now, however, realising that" _

_There was a long silence as he held her in a tight embrace before Cody pulled away slightly and tilted her head back to look up at him "so what are we going to do?" she asked _

_And with almost no hesitation, Spencer pulled her into a kiss, and back over to the bed._

_..._

Cody ran her fingers through her long, tangled hair as she stared out of the kitchen window and up at the crisp, bright sky. Still smiling, she began to run the cold water as she reached for a clean glass in the cabinet.

"Need some help?" asked Spencer from behind her before grabbing a glass and pacing it in her hand

"I'm not _that _short" Cody giggled as she filled it up and took a big gulp of water

"sure, and I'm not _that _smart" he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist

"did… did you just use sarcasm?" Cody asked playfully, pretending to be shocked

"Indeed I did" Spencer joked, kissing the crook of her neck.

"We should really start thinking of a story" Cody said as she began moving away from him and fixing her hair into a ponytail with a band that was wrapped around her wrist

"it's going to be difficult" Spencer stated "we're going to have to be incredibly thorough"

"let's start with how you broke the news to me?" she suggested as she sat down at the dining table

"alright… how did you react?" he asked, joining her.

...

_Spencer was leaning his back against the wall, his legs sprawled along the width of the hallway. Cody lay on top of him, still out of breath, a blanket covering them both. 'Three times in one night' Spencer thought to himself proudly; not even caring that they're third time had been on the floor in the hall. He was exhausted, but his elation stopped him from falling asleep._

_"Why were you being so mean to me?" Cody mumbled softly into his bare chest "couldn't you have just… told me how you really felt?"_

_"I didn't want to be mean to you. But… I guess being mean was the easiest way to make you leave" he explained_

_"why would you want me to leave?"_

_"Remember in the police department? How I went and spoke to Hotch?" Spencer began "He told me it was time for you to find your own place. And I couldn't face telling you to leave because- well- I didn't want you to"_

_It was then that Cody realised why Spencer acted the way he did "but I have to?" she asked "move out -I mean"_

_"I'm afraid so"_

_"I don't want to" Cody stated, sitting up in a panic "I want to stay here with you. I want to- I want to be with you and live here with you and make this work, Spencer, I can't-"_

_"ssh" he interrupted as he pulled her into him, sensing her desperation "then be with me" he whispered_

_"you know we can't" she mumbled into his neck_

_"Cody, I don't think I could handle watching you leave here. I don't think I can go any longer without calling you mine" he began "if having you in secret is the only way I can have you at all, then I'm willing to take the risk"_

_"Well then, I guess I'm yours" she whispered before placing a kiss on the edge of his jaw "you need to seriously practice your lying skills if we're going to make this work" she smiled_

_..._

They'd been sitting at the dining table for at least an hour. So far, they had figured out how they were going to convince everyone that Cody had moved out, how to explain Spencer's attitude towards her, and how they were going to maintain professionalism at all times.

"Finally… I think we should agree to keep this solely between the two of us" Spencer began "no getting drunk and 'sharing secrets'" he said in a sarcastic tone

"fine, I agree. But that goes for _you _too"

"of course" he smiled before there was a heavy knock on the front door

"Hey, Reid? It's Morgan. You in there, kid?"

"oh my gosh" Whispered Cody in a panic

meanwhile, Spencer's eyes had widened with terror as he realised Cody was wearing nothing but one of his t-shirts and various items of clothing lay spread out across the apartment.

"Here!" Cody whispered franticly as she pulled off the t-shirt and threw it at Spencer to put on "Go answer the door, I'll grab everything and hide out in the bedroom; tell him I've gone apartment hunting or something"

"okay" Spencer nodded, worry clear on his face

"go!" she whispered before running naked across the living room and picking up clothes as she went.

"Reid?" Morgan called as he knocked again

Spencer cleared his throat "coming!" he called out, taking his time answering the door in order to make sure Cody was hidden first "hey, man. What's up?" he asked as he pulled the door open with a creak.


	22. Chapter 22

"What took so long?" asked Morgan with a charming smile "got a girl in there?" he joked

"What? No! Of-Of course not!" replied Spencer, becoming increasingly more flustered as he spoke

"Relax, kid; it was a joke" countered Morgan as he strolled past his fellow agent into the apartment

'_No really, come in, please, I insist.' _Spencer thought to himself in a sarcastic tone, closing the door behind him

"I just came by with the files of that murder case you wanted to read over; I thought you might wanna go grab some breakfast or something"

"Uh, sure"

"Cool" Morgan stated as he placed the brown file down on the small wooden table "is Cody here? Maybe she wants to come too-"

"no" interrupted Spencer quickly "she's out. Ap-apartment hunting"

"Apartment hunting already, huh?" Morgan asked in shock

"Yeah, she, uh, she should be out of here by next week" Spencer lied, trying his best to be convincing

"Whoah, that's fast. You guys haven't fallen out or anything have you?"

"No, I-uh-we worked things out; everything's fine now" he smiled "I'll just go grab my jacket -take a seat, man."

Morgan nodded, as he watched his young friend dart off to the bedroom. He sat down on the edge of the couch and turned on the TV.

**…..**

Cody was snuggled up under the sheets of Spencer's bed reading a book when she heard the bedroom door open and slam quickly again.

"I'm going for breakfast with Derek" Spencer whispered as he began rummaging through his closet for his jacket

"does he suspect anything?" she whispered back

"I don't think so; he believes you're moving out at least"

"that's good!"

"ssssshhhhh, he doesn't know you're here!" Spencer whispered frantically

Cody winced in realisation, before slumping down under the sheets "maybe we've bitten off more than we can chew. This is going to be harder to keep secret than I thought"

realising Cody's doubt, Spencer threw on his brown cord parka and rushed over to the bed "it'll be fine" he smiled before grabbing her and pulling her into a deep kiss "see you later" he whispered as he pulled away and hurried out of the bedroom.

**OOO**

"So where's she moving to?" asked Morgan as he poured lashings of syrup onto his pancakes

"Somewhere uptown, I think. In the village" Spencer lied, stirring his coffee

Morgan nodded slightly "this is a good thing, you know. I know it might not seem like it now, but I think your friendship will benefit, I think your _work _will benefit and I think people will finally get off your back about how close you guys are"

_'calm, stay calm. Don't blow this' _Spencer thought to himself "Yeah, you're right"

"I mean, Hotch is going to be thrilled" Morgan reassured his friend with a smile

"yeah" Spencer nodded after a long pause.

**OOO**

The apartment had changed by the time Spencer returned; Cody's things which had been scattered around were now gone, her instruments and her pile of clean laundry had vanished and the pictures belonging to her had been taken down.

"Code?" Spencer called out in confusion.

With that, Cody came strolling out from her bedroom wearing an oversized grey t-shirt and a pair of velvet burgundy leggings "hey, I didn't hear you come in" she said as she flashed her signature smile in his direction

"Where's all of your things?" he asked before beginning to walk towards her, still confused

"I put everything in my old room to make it more look more convincing that I've moved out" she winked jokingly before rushing over to him and placing a tender kiss on his lips

"your _'old' _room?" asked Spencer in a flirtatious tone

"well you don't expect your girlfriend to sleep in a separate room, do you?" Cody countered, equally as flirtatious.

Spencer's incredibly attractive smile began to appear across his face as it finally hit him; Cody was his _girlfriend. _With that, he lifted her chin gently with his hand and began to kiss her passionately. Cody's hands travelled around his neck as her fingers began to tangle themselves in his messy hair. He pulled her into him at the waist as he started to lead them towards the bedroom; _he could get used to this. _


	23. Chapter 23

Three months of perfect secrecy had passed; Spencer and Cody had lived in relationship bliss while the team suspected nothing. Every day, they would come home from work and breathe out a harmonious sigh of relief before sinking into each others arms as if they'd never been apart.

Spencer pulled Cody into him as he cuddled her from behind; he was waking slightly and could hear her soft breathing as she continued to sleep soundly. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of her shoulder and another on the back of her neck, causing her to turn around and burrow into his chest.

"Good morning" He whispered in his croaky morning-voice as he ran a hand through her messy hair

"mmm" Cody mumbled before allowing her eyes to open slightly and flicker up towards Spencer's attractive face. She smiled immediately at the sight of him, the smile continuing to widen as she realised what day it was. "Day off" she cheered sleepily before closing her eyes again

"You know what else today is?" Spencer teased cutely

"What?"

"It's… Well…" he began, a little tentative at the thought of coming across strange "It-It's our three month anniversary"

"Is that really today? Wow" sighed Cody as she sat up to face her awkwardly cute boyfriend "Three months" she smiled before leaning in and meeting him with an eager kiss.

Spencer's hands travelled around Cody's back, allowing his arms to pull her in closer. He rolled her over onto her back as he continued to kiss her passionately, feeling the bare skin of her thighs brush against his hips. Eagerly, he tugged at her bra until the clasp came free and he was able to pull it off and throw it to the side of the room.  
>Cody felt Spencer's hands begin to gently caress her bare breasts, his mouth never once losing contact with hers. Impatiently, she grasped her fingers into Spencer's bare back and pulled him down in an attempt to feel his full weight on top of her, smiling under his kiss as she heard a slight groan in the back of his throat.<p>

With the instigation from Cody, Spencer tugged down his boxers and threw them over to join the bra on the floor. He teased her, tickling her hips as he traced his fingers down to the trim of panties before pulling at them harshly, and quickly pushing himself inside of her. They moaned together at the feeling of him filling her up; her fingers dug into his back while he clenched his fist tightly around the railings of the headboard. They moved together, changing paces, moaning and kissing; enjoying every second of each other, almost as if they were the only two people in the world -

Spencer's cell phone began to ring loudly, vibrating ruthlessly on the bedside table, shortly followed by Cody's on the other side of the room

"aaagghh!" Screamed Spencer in frustration as he collapsed on top of Cody before lifting himself off her and reaching for his phone "it's JJ" he stated in a fed-up tone

"great" Cody replied sarcastically as she jumped up from the bed and ran for her phone "Hotch." She stated "I'll take mine in the bathroom" (the pair had their plan executed to a t. If ever they were contacted at the same time, they would be sure to take their calls from separate parts of the apartment in an attempt to avoid each other's voices being heard by other members of the team).

"Hey, JJ" Spencer sighed as he answered his cell "Sure- No, don't worry it's not your fault- Yeah sure thing, I'll be at the office as quickly as possible- Bye" He hung up and placed the phone back on the table before running both hands through his messy hair

"So much for our day off" he heard Cody say from behind him as she walked back into the bedroom

"It seems like a pretty serious case"

"Yeah" Cody agreed before a long silence between the couple "I hate when that happens"

"When there's a serious case? Me too" Replied Spencer naively

"No… When we get _interrupted_"

"Oh" he blushed "well I have to take a shower now so…" he hinted awkwardly, a cute half-smile on his face

"What a coincidence… me too"


	24. Chapter 24

The large, black SUV had been parked outside the house for what felt like an eternity. Reid sat in the driver's side; both hands on the wheel while resting his head on the back of the seat. Cody sat in the passenger seat; her legs were tucked up to her chest while she stared vigilantly out the window. There had been no sign of the suspect all night, but by Hotch's orders, the pair had to stay put until he turned up. Across the street, the pair could see Prentiss and Rossi sitting in their SUV, the same bored expressions clear on their faces.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Cody pondered

"In what sense?" asked Spencer before turning his head to face her

"Do you ever think about what will happen... with us? In the future?" she continued tentatively

"Well... I _hope _we stay together" he grinned

"Yeah, but, I mean- you'd really be okay with spending the rest of our lives in a _secret relationship_?"

"Well we've proven it can work..." Spencer explained with an innocent smile

"Yeah, for now" laughed Cody "but what if we decided to get married? Or, I don't know, I got pregnant or something" she suggested, before an immediate sense of regret began to wash over her "oh, god. Um- I shouldn't have- oh god- I uh- I didn't- I..." Cody didn't know what to say; instead she sat in silence hoping the ground would swallow her up instantly; she knew Spencer's fear of passing on his genetics meant that he didn't want children. "I'm not... Planning on getting pregnant" she muttered, digging herself further into the awkward hole she'd already created.

"I know" whispered Spencer with a reassuring smile "I guess we'll just cross bridges when we come to them".

It was then that the suspect came walking out of the house. He was middle-aged and heavy-set with a suspicious look burning in his eyes. He was carrying a large gym bag –just like the profile suggested he'd have.

"Ready?" Spencer asked as he watched Prentiss and Rossi begin in climb out of their SUV

"after you" Cody replied.

**OOO**

Spencer watched quietly through the glass of the interview room, the two stitches in his lip still throbbing from earlier. He watched as the suspect argued with Morgan in the same aggressive tone he'd had when he punched Spencer in the mouth earlier that day.

"How's the lip, Reid?" Cody asked in a friendly mocking tone as she walked up behind him

"It's okay" he said, poking at the stitches with his tongue "lucky I don't have to kiss anyone, now that would be difficult" he said sarcastically, smiling down to his fellow agent

"yeah... that could be tricky" she smiled back, before focusing her attention on the interview

_"where's the girl?" Morgan shouted_

"we're so close to getting this guy" Spencer stated

_"I told you, I don't know where the girl is" replied the suspect through gritted teeth_

"so I take it they didn't find her at his place then?" asked Cody

"No. But there may be another house in the area, we think she may be there"

"I'll ask Garcia if she's found anything" she said as she pulled out her phone and began to dial.

**OOO**

"No, really JJ, it's fine. I'm going to go grab something to eat with Reid then he'll drive me home. Thanks anyway" Cody smiled as she turned down the offer of a ride home with JJ. It was 8pm on a Thursday and the team had just gotten back to Quantico. Hotch had taken himself straight up to his office to begin paperwork of the case, while the rest of the team said their goodbyes and began to make their way home.

**...**

Spencer pulled his car door shut and started up the engine. He pulled out of the Quantico parking lot and slowly drove away into the traffic. After driving out of sight of the bureau he breathed a long sigh of relief, followed by an attractive smile aimed at his beautiful girlfriend in the passenger seat.

"Finally" sighed Cody before curling up into the seat and reaching her hand out, gently curling her fingers into his

"I love you" he grinned as he softly squeezed her small hand

"I love you too".


	25. Chapter 25

Cody walked into the bullpen; she was wearing a white silk blouse buttoned up to the collar underneath a burgundy sweater with a pair of skinny black pants and her brown leather ankle boots. Her hair was tied back in a long, curly pony tail and her pale white skin glowed clear and fresh under the light.

"Happy Birthday!" JJ sang as she watched the younger agent walk in, handing her a gift bag and a pile of birthday cards from the whole team

"Aw, thanks Jaje" said Cody sweetly before giving her a quick cuddle and sitting down at her desk

"One year older and _still _young enough to be my granddaughter" said Rossi sarcastically as he walked past "Happy Birthday, kid" he smiled before heading up to his office

"Okay, how did you guys know?" she laughed

"You didn't think we'd forget your birthday did you?" said Hotch in a playful tone as he leant against Morgan's desk

"_No_… But seeing as I didn't _tell _anybody-"

"that one's Garcia's fault" Morgan interrupted with a laugh

"well _we _remembered from last year" said JJ as she gestured towards herself and Emily

"aw guys" Cody blushed as she pulled an old leather-backed book out of the gift bag "thanks".

Spencer walked through the bullpen and straight over to his desk; he was wearing a dark shirt with a matching tie under a navy-blue cardigan, a pair of cords and his old black and white converse. He sat himself down, pulled out a pile of paper work and looked across to Cody with a 'good morning' smile. Cody smiled back before putting her new book back in its gift bag and placing everything into her messenger bag under her chair.

"Has he forgotten?" Prentiss muttered

"I think he might have. Don't mention anything, it'll just embarrass him" JJ mumbled back as the phone in her office began to ring.

The team took their positions around the bureau, JJ and Hotch went to their offices and the rest sat at their desks; all with a mutual understanding that Spencer had forgotten Cody's birthday.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Cody!" Garcia began to sing as she strolled through the desks and towards the birthday girl "Happy Birthday to you" she handed her birthday card and gave her a kiss on the cheek "did you like the book we got you?"

"uh" Cody began, awkwardly trying not to embarrass Spencer "yeah, it's perfect. Thanks, Pen" she blushed. Spencer looked up from his work and over at the two girls.

"Yay! Okay, me- you- these guys- cocktails…" Garcia said, as she swirled her finger around the room gesturing towards the rest of the team

"We have a case, guys" JJ called from the upper level

"…when you get back" Garcia finished in an ironic tone before heading up to the conference room, shortly followed by everyone else.

**OOO**

"Has he said anything?" Emily whispered to Cody. They were standing in the lobby of the hotel waiting to check in with the rest of the team.

"No. But it's fine, Emily, really; I hate birthdays" she reassured

"yeah but… he's your best friend" pressed Emily "I don't know, it's just not like Reid to forget _anything_"

"I don't mind; it's only my birthday for another 2 hours or something anyway" she giggled before walking up to the front desk and handing her credentials to the hotel manager.

They had been in their secret relationship for around 10 months now; the fact that Spencer had forgotten her birthday _did _confuse her slightly. But she'd never been a fan of birthdays, having no one to celebrate hers with for so many years had left her not really caring too much.

…

"Get plenty of sleep, guys. I want everyone at the PD for 7 sharp." Order Hotch.  
>The team entered their separate rooms, exchanging goodnights and closing their doors behind them.<p>

**OOO**

It was 11.50pm; Cody had just pulled off her clothes when there was a light tap on the hotel door. Quickly, she threw on a long cardigan, wrapping it around herself to cover her body. She ran towards the door and opened it quietly; standing on the other side was Spencer.

"Hey?" she whispered in a confused tone

"Let me in before someone sees" he whispered back.

Cody let Spencer in, shutting the door behind him "are you trying to get us caught!" she whispered

"I couldn't not say 'happy birthday'" he smiled, pulling out a small green velvet box from his pocket

"you _did _remember"

"Of course"

Cody opened the box slowly; in it sat a beautiful braided leather bracelet with a sparkling silver clasp encrusted with diamonds

"oh my god" Cody gasped "Spencer"

"It's uh- It's vintage" he smiled nervously

"It's beautiful" Cody turned to look at the clock which now read 11.53. With that, she ran to the door and locked it "it's 11.53. Technically it's still my birthday for another 7 minutes. Now let's see… I wonder what we can do for 7 minutes?" she whispered.

She ran to Spencer who immediately pulled her into a kiss. As quietly as possible they stumbled to the bed, before their hands began to travel down into each others underwear. Cody lay on her back, pulling Spencer on top of her. The pair kissed as Spencer's hand travelled into her panties again, his long fingers slowly entering her. With that, Cody's back arched, causing the bed to creak and the headboard to hit the wall.

"Who's next door?" he asked, pointing to the wall with the headboard against it

"Rossi" Cody whispered

"And the other side?"

"Hotch"

Immediately, they realised the risk of continuing, taking a minute to think.

"Well, it's a special occasion. I mean, it's not like we'd _ever _usually do this on a case" Spencer whispered as he began to take off his shirt and pants

"look at you justifying sex with me" Cody said proudly as Spencer hastily pulled off her cardigan and underwear

"here" he said as he handed her a pillow

"what's this for?"

"to cover your loudness"

"I am not loud" she said in a slightly offended tone, before throwing the pillow to the side of her

Spencer laughed with a 'we'll see' sort of attitude. He slid a finger inside of her, hitting her in the right spot straight away. Cody let out a moan which caused him to put a hand around her neck, crashing his lips on top of hers to shut her up

"loud" he concluded.

Cody pushed him off her; the bed creaking a little as she did. She crawled on top of him, allowing her mouth to travel down his stomach and onto his full erection. Spencer bit down on his knuckle to stop himself making noise; he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

After a minute or two, Spencer pulled her head up and began to kiss her passionately. He rolled her over onto her back again and quickly pushed himself inside her, Cody gasped followed by a 'shush' from Spencer. They began to pick up pace, getting harder and faster with every thrust. Cody pushed her hands through the railings of the headboard and against the wall to stop them from hitting against each other. She began to moan again, causing Spencer to grab the pillow and force her to put it over her mouth.

Cody screamed into the pillow as a wave of orgasm overcame her, shortly followed by Spencer who pressed his face into the other side to hide his moans. After a moment, he pulled the pillow away from her face and kissed her, both of them gasping for breath.

"Loud." He whispered again before getting up "what time is it?" he asked as he began to get dressed

"12.01" Cody whispered

Spencer giggled as he continued to get dressed

"What's so funny?"

"You know what I can say now?"

"What?"

"I made you orgasm over the course of two days" he grinned

"You are_ such_ a nerd" she replied.

Spencer grabbed her face, kissed her, and snuck out of her room back to his own.


	26. Chapter 26

Spencer was sitting quietly in the old armchair by the window; he was wearing a white t-shirt under a knitted brown cardigan, and a pair of brown drainpipe trousers rolled up slightly at the bottom to reveal his odd socks. His glasses sat comfortably on the bridge of his nose while he sat re-reading the entire collective works of Chaucer –currently taking in the long epic poem of Troilus and Criseyde within a matter of minutes. His girlfriend of 11 months sat cross-legged on the floor in the corner of the living room, strumming away on her ukulele. Her horn-rimmed glasses framed her large, green eyes while she sat comfortably in a white band t-shirt rolled up at the sleeves, along with a pair of black, leather leggings. The couple were perfectly comfortable in their geeky silence, until Cody began to play a familiar melody:

"..._'O' is for the only one I see_" Spencer picked up, singing quietly in his cute, out-of-tune voice "_'V' is very, very extraordinary..."_

Cody began to giggle sweetly as she continued to play, enjoying listening to her boyfriend getting carried away in the moment. After another bar or two Spencer looked up from his book, realising that Cody had been watching him with a huge smile on her face.

"You should sing more often" she said with a smile as she stopped playing

"I can't sing" Spencer laughed shyly

"I know. That's why you should do it more often" Cody grinned

"Well I'm glad my lack of talent amuses you" he said sarcastically.

The pair sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Spencer jumped up from his chair and walked over to the bookshelf to put Troilus and Criseyde back in its place "May I take you to dinner tonight?" he asked sweetly as he turned to Cody who was still sat on the floor, now blushing bright pink.

"I'd like that" she said through her pretty, half smile "...You'll have to help me up first" she laughed before reaching her arms out to him.

Spencer hurried over and pulled her to her feet, smiling as their faces came close enough to touch.

**OOO**

The quaint Chinese restaurant was intimate and authentic. There was a quiet buzz of conversation while pretty, oriental music played softly in the background. Spencer and Cody were seated at a corner table; a candle flickered in a little jar in the centre of the table and their pot of oolong tea was steaming on the edge. They talked and laughed; basking in the idea that they didn't have to hide their relationship from anyone.

"I bet I can guess what you're going to order" Cody said

"probably because I order the same thing every time" laughed Spencer. Cody rolled her eyes with a slight smile "But I bet I can guess what _you're _getting"

Cody shifted her eyes to the menu and back up to Spencer "okay, go on" she smiled

"You'll start with a soup, and then you'll have the seafood noodles" he wagered

"Since when have I ever ordered a seafood dish?"

"Um, never" Spencer let out a slight chuckle

"Ready to order?" asked the young waitress as she approached their table

"Uh y-yes, I'll have the spring rolls and the chilli beef with rice" said Spencer

"Can I have the Chi Tan T'ang soup and the seafood noodles please" said Cody before taking a cheeky glance at her boyfriend.

After the waitress had written down their order, she left towards the kitchen.

"If this is disgusting, I'm blaming you" stated Cody sarcastically.

**OOO**

It was a crisp, dark night. The pair were sitting listening to music as they drove through the city in Spencer's car. Cody had been fidgeting since they first started driving, her discomfort clear on her face

"It's so hot in here" she sighed as she began to wind down the window

"But the air-con's on" Spencer stated in a confused tone

"It's not cool enough" replied Cody in a breath as she rested her head against the door, her face close to the open window allowing the cold air to gust through into the car.

"Are you okay?" asked Spencer

"I'm fine, just burning up a little"

"Alright, as long as you're sure you're okay" he nodded slightly

"I am" she whispered back before reaching her hand over and locking her fingers into his.

**OOO**

"I am so lucky" Cody said sincerely as she placed a kiss on Spencer's lips

"I'm the lucky one" he replied in-between kisses, shutting the front door behind him with his foot.

Cody took his hand in hers and began pulling him towards the bedroom as they continued to kiss each other

"someone feeling better?" Spencer flirted

"Nope. I'm still very, _very _warm" giggled Cody.


	27. Chapter 27

"I'm a little worried" said Prentiss as she stirred her coffee in the break room

"Trust me; she's probably just stuck in traffic or something" said JJ in an attempt to ease Emily's mind

"I know. It's been so long since… -and I still get worried when she doesn't turn up" Prentiss replied before taking a sip from her cup

"I know, I think we all do"

The two women strolled out of the break room and across the bullpen towards the desks. Reid had just wandered in; he was clutching the strap of his messenger bag which sat firmly on his shoulder while he talked on his cell phone –an unusual sight to the rest of the team.

"…okay, well keep me updated. Bye" He murmured down the phone before hanging up. "That was Cody, she said she's too sick to come to work; she can't walk without throwing up… apparently" he said to the rest of the team who had gathered around.

"Is she really that bad?" Morgan asked in a concerned tone

"She sounds it" said Reid before throwing his messenger bag under his chair and sitting down behind his desk.

Spencer hadn't only heard how ill Cody was, he'd seen it too earlier that morning as he woke up next to her; the team, however, didn't need to know that part.

_As the couple got up to get dressed, Cody had rushed to the bathroom before violently throwing up, not even managing to button up her shirt first. An hour had passed, and in the time it had taken Spencer to get dressed, eat breakfast, collect the mail and clip his gun to his waist, Cody had thrown up a grand total of 5 times._

_"It's those noodles. I knew there was a reason I didn't eat seafood" She croaked as she crawled back into bed_

_"want me to drive you to the doctor's surgery on my way to work?" he asked her before pulling on his jacket, only to be greeted by a moan as she rolled over in bed clutching her stomach "okay, well I'll text you later to see if you're alright." _

"She thinks it's food poisoning" He explained to the team

"Aw, I hope she's okay" JJ sighed before leaving for her office

"She will be, I'm sure" he replied as he pulled his cell phone back out of his pocket and began to type '_just checking to see if you're feeling better' _he sent.

"Okay guys, Garcia just faxed trough the updated criteria for the profiling qualification, if you could all take a copy and proof through it; see if there's anything incorrect etc…" Said Hotch as he handed out files to everyone "the bureau would really appreciate it"

Spencer's phone vibrated in his pocket _'I feel terrible -but don't worry I think it's definitely food poisoning'_

'_try sleeping it off? see you later, I love you xx' _

**OOO**

The rusty lock clicked as the door creaked open; Spencer threw his keys down onto the small wooden table and pushed the door closed behind him. Cody came shuffling out of the bathroom; she was wearing a baggy lilac t-shirt and nothing on bottom besides a pair of boy-short panties. She was paler than usual (which was almost impossible) and her hair hung in tattered curls.

"Hey" she muttered

"Still sick, huh?" gathered Spencer as he walked across the room before pulling Cody into his arms and placing his chin on the top of her head

"I didn't sleep, I was throwing up too much." She began to cry "I suggest you don't kiss me" she sniffled

"Did you know; the taste when you throw up comes from hydrochloric acid, which is so strong it can go through stainless steel and even eat through paint; a form of it is even used by bricklayers to clean mortar" Spencer began to ramble

"Thanks for that one, babe"

"Also, did you know that if you try to stop yourself from throwing up by closing your mouth-"

"-the vomit will just come out your nose. Yeah, I knew that one" she laughed slightly "I'm going to try sleeping -unless you have some off-putting facts about that?"

"I have many" Spencer stated "but I'll save those for a better time" he smiled innocently

**OOO**

It had been three days since Cody had first gotten sick. And even with much suggestion from Spencer, she refused to see a doctor; 'too scared' she'd told him. But thankfully, after 3 days of violent throwing up, a raised temperature and a constant headache, the colour in her cheeks had finally begun to return and she was ready to go back to work the next morning.

"How're you feeling?" asked Spencer as he sat down gently next to Cody, handing her a cup of green tea

"better" she sighed contently "I told you it was just food poisoning"

"I know. I just worry about you, that's all" he smiled

Cody rested her head against the back of the couch looking across to Spencer adoringly "I don't deserve you"

"You're kidding, right?" he laughed in disbelief, an attractive smirk creeping across his face

"What! I really don't. You're so much-"

"-Cody, you're nose!" Spencer interrupted urgently

"What?" she asked confused as she rubbed her hand over her nose "oh you have _got _to be kidding me!" she said, pulling her hand away to reveal a pool of blood in her palm

"I'll get you some tissues, keep your head back and squeeze tightly" Spencer instructed, softly tilting her head back before rushing to the kitchen.

**...  
><strong>

Half an hour had passed, and a pile of bloodstained tissues sat crumpled up on the coffee table.

"I think it's stopped" muttered Cody, pulling a ball of tissue from under her nose and turning her head towards Spencer

"I think it has" he confirmed after a quick inspection. "I think you should go see Dr Andrews tomorrow"

"Dr Andrews?" she asked apprehensively "but it was just a nosebleed; I used to get them all the time"

"I don't care. You're going"

Cody jumped up from the couch huffing like a child before finally nodding slightly "okay, if it'll make you feel better, I'll go tomorrow morning before work"

"thank you" Spencer sighed before standing up to join her. He wrapped his arms around his tiny girlfriend, pulling her in close and kissing her lovingly on the forehead "I love you"

"I love you too".


	28. Chapter 28

She pulled up outside the clinic, shifting her gear into park and pulling the key out of the ignition. She sat for a moment, still as a statue, staring out ahead of her at the dreary gray sky. Her stomach churned as her mind worked overtime thinking about how much she hated lying to him. With a large, deep breath she finally managed to pluck up the courage to get out of the truck. She slammed the old door behind her and locked it quickly before she had a chance to change her mind.

She was wearing her comfiest oversized knitted sweater along with a pair of skinny tweed pants; her long curly hair blew violently in the strong wind as she crossed the parking lot, and her clunky leather brogues clacking briskly against the tarmac.

She pushed the glass door and stepped slowly through the quiet waiting room towards the reception

"Cody Syler, I have an appointment" she whispered across the desk to the middle-aged woman sitting behind it

"yes, here you are." She smiled after typing briefly on her computer "If you'd just like to take a seat, Miss Syler; Dr Green will be with you shortly"

"thank you" whispered Cody before turning around and sitting herself down on a small wooden chair by a table of children's toys and magazines.

She began to stare blankly, thinking back on what felt like every second she had ever spent with Spencer-

"mommy look!" a high-pitched voice called out from in front of her, bringing her swiftly back to reality

"wow that's great, sweetie" a young woman answered.

Cody turned her head away from the little blond-haired boy who had began stacking up brightly colored blocks on the table, and focused her attention on the young woman waiting at the reception; she was blond, pretty and heavily pregnant, her eyes sparkling as she watched her 3-year-old begin to play excitedly.

Cody's stomach began to churn again as she watched the young woman and her son play nicely with the toys in the waiting room; her heart pounded as her eyes watered, panic shooting through every nerve in her body

"hey! Don't throw" The young woman warned her son

"I'm throwing them at the truck!" he called out as he continued to throw building blocks at a toy fire-truck from across the room

"Spencer, I'm warning you." His mom replied sternly.

It was then, that for some strange reason, all of Cody's anxieties ceased. Her stomach relaxed, her heart stopped racing, and her mind began to ease; that adorable blond-haired, brown-eyed, little boy was a 'Spencer'. A slight smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth-

"Cody Syler?" the receptionist called out.

**...**

She lay on the bed, taking deep breaths as she waited for Dr Green to say something

"so... around six weeks?" the doctor asked nicely

"yep" Cody replied quietly

"okay, we better take a look then" she smiled as she wheeled towards the bed on her chair. Cody let out a large breath "nervous?" Dr Green asked

"A little" she admitted with a false smile

"well... you shouldn't be..." the doctor began, stringing out her words as she started the procedure "because..." she continued, Cody's heart dropping a little more into her stomach every time she spoke "_here_... is your baby" she grinned, pointing to a small screen on the left of the bed.

Cody's eyes filled immediately as she laid them on the black and white image "oh" she breathed lightly, unable to say anything more

"there's not much to see yet really. But if you look down here" she began to point "see that there? That's him. Or 'her', of course" she grinned.

**OOO**

"So listen, I need to tell you something… I'm pregnant, yay– Hey, so good new; I'm not dying! Turns out it's just this foetus growing inside me ha ha– So yeah, good news and bad news… The good news is you're definitely not infertile" Cody had been talking to the windshield for the past half hour desperately trying to conjure up the best way of breaking the news to Spencer. She had one hour before they were due in work, and knew she _had _to tell him right away. She pulled out her cell phone and clicked on her boyfriend's name, her finger hovering over the 'call' button "yo, Reid, you my baby daddy… oh my god" she slapped her forehead pitifully.

Suddenly her phone began to ring in her hand, it was JJ

"_Hey, we need you in early. Urgent double homicide case came in this morning"_

"Oh god- Alright" Cody muttered, she knew that meant at least another few days before she could break the news to him. She hung up and threw her cell onto the passenger seat before starting up her engine and pulling out of the clinic parking lot.

**OOO**

Cody strolled up to the front of the building, only to be halted by a security guard at the door

"Credentials?" he said sternly. Cody rolled her eyes as she let out a sigh, she reached into her pocked and pulled out her FBI badge, flashing her perfect smile at the guard in the process "Okay, ma'am, sorry about that" he apologised before pushing the door open for her.

She ran into an open elevator and rushed into the bullpen as soon as the doors slid open, she casually began to slow down into a stroll as she grew closer to her unit. As she reached her desk, she placed her coffee cup down and lifted her bag off her shoulder before dumping it under her chair.

"Hey, pretty lady. Can I speak to you for a sec?" Cody turned to find the walking rainbow that was Penelope Garcia leaning against her desk.


	29. Chapter 29

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Whispered Garcia in a happy yet betrayed kind of voice as she pulled Cody into her office.

Cody stared at the colourful, blond woman in front of her; her bright green eyes wide with shock "what! I'm not pr- I mean, where did-" her stuttering was just making her look even more guilty. She eventually gave up "how did you know?"

Garcia's smile widened "I didn't. Well, not for sure"

"Penelope! You can't tell _anyone _okay? Wait, how did you know to ask me?"

Garcia's beautifully white smile faded "Ok well, I kinda have the team kept in an encrypted file on my system so nobody can hack into your information…again. And when I got shot, nobody found out until I was in surgery. So I kinda have medical records flagged"

"Which means?"

"Which means… Anything medical related and I get alerted."

Cody bent over the desk to read the computer screen. Flashing up in a black alert box in the middle of the screen was: 'Cody Syler: Metropolitan Family Planning Clinic'. Her heart sank "All this says is family planning, Garcia that could've been anything!"

"Okay fine, so I got lucky… and so did you!" Cody rolled her eyes "You know, I didn't even know you were seeing anyone"

"Yeah, nobody does. I kinda wanted to keep it a secret. Please don't tell anybody, not even Reid" Cody begged

"Wait; hold on, you haven't even told Reid you're seeing someone?" Garcia muttered to Cody.

Prentiss strolled through the hall and was approaching Garcia's office; the door was open and the pair stood in plain sight, their conversation echoing a lot louder than they realised. "No, and he definitely doesn't know that I'm pregnant"

"Scouts honour" smiled Garcia "now comes on, JJ needs us for the briefing" she said, quickly shuffling the beautiful agent out of the room.

Cody smiled, allowing her to gently push her out "hey, Emily!" she called as she turned the corner out of the room and saw her sister-like colleague walking a few steps ahead. Emily turned and smiled at the two women before stopping and allowing them to catch up

"I'm always the last" Prentiss said in an ironic tone as she shook her head slightly and smiled, subtly referring to the news of her young colleague's pregnancy

"Not this time" Cody replied as they caught up and began to walk together. She was blissfully unaware of what her fellow agent had meant, taking it for granted she was referring to order they arrived at the bureau.

**OOO**

After a long briefing and a small breakthrough, the team began collecting their go-bags and making their way to the jet. For the whole journey Cody couldn't concentrate; the idea of telling a man who didn't want kids that he could be a father sent her heart tumbling into her stomach. She hadn't had a chance to be alone with Spencer since she'd been to the clinic; every minute ticking by allowed the anxiety to bubble up inside of her.

The case had been long and complicated. But they had almost caught the unsub. The team sat around the hot, stuffy conference room in Boston P.D as Garcia typed furiously on her laptop; the stress beginning to show

"Do you have it?" asked Morgan, leaning over Garcia's shoulder

"A few minutes"

"Come on, Garcia!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, Derek!" Garcia shouted

Rossi could sense the tension as the team waited for Garcia to give them a name "So what's the plan of action?"

"JJ will stay here with Garcia and Reid. You, Prentiss and I will head down to the first location. Morgan and Syler; you'll take the second. Expect things to get a little rough; this man will not go down without a fight" Said Hotch in his usual diplomatic tone

Prentiss stood up from behind the desk "Wait, do you think that's wise? I mean, Cody, you have to think of the baby now"  
>"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… Baby!" Morgan yelled<p>

"What!" added JJ

Cody's heart sank into her stomach. The entire team burst into uproar at the shocking news, though Spencer sat glued to his chair, the word 'baby' mouthed on his lips. Prentiss realised what she had done, earlier that week she had walked past Garcia's office and overheard Cody utter the words 'I'm pregnant', she had no idea that it was to be kept a secret "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I thought people knew!"

Hotch turned, stern and unemotional towards Cody "you're pregnant?"

She winced, but had no choice but to tell the truth "little bit" she mumbled

"I didn't even know you were seeing anyone" Morgan said

"Yeah, no one did"

All of a sudden, Spencer rose up from his chair; his tall and slender build towering over every member of the team "why didn't you tell me!"

"I didn't have a chance, I-"

"You _live _with me, Cody! Why couldn't you have told me at my apartment? I think I deserved to know!"

"I tried, Spencer, but we got called in early and given a complicated briefing- I just- I haven't had time"

"Time? You should have told me the _second_you found out!"

"I know, I was just scared you'd freak out!" She could feel tears welling up and glazing her eyes over  
>"Fre- Freak out! I can't believe you think I'd 'freak out' why w-"<p>

"Oh come on, Spencer! You know yourself you're not exactly the 'daddy' type!" the room became completely silent, the only sound coming from the motor of Garcia's laptop

"What did you just say?" Rossi was the only one brave enough to break the silence

"Crap" Cody whispered to herself

The team once again went into shock and began throwing questions at the secret couple "you got her pregnant?" Morgan asked Spencer

Not once did Spencer take his eyes off of Cody who was standing across the small conference room almost in tears "I guess so"

"Well you left _that_ part out!" Garcia shouted to Cody

Hotch stepped in, in an attempt to compose his team "How long has this been going on?" He asked in a voice he often used when interviewing unsubs

"About a year" stated Cody; drained and emotional. Their secret was out, and she knew they were both facing losing their job.

There was a small, high pitched bleep from Garcia's computer "Guys, you were right. One name, two locations"

The team gathered their things and filed out of the room trying to ignore the tension that was still building between Reid and Syler.

"We will _not_ continue this now. But the _second_we get back to Quantico, I will see you _both_in my office" Hotch turned and ran out of the room. Leaving the two youngest agents standing face to face, in the knowledge that their secret was out and their lives were probably about to change forever.

**OOO  
><strong>

The room was empty besides the two agents; an awkward tension grew as neither dared speak. As Spencer looked down at her from across the room Cody could do nothing but allow the tears to spill over onto her cheeks

"I wasn't keeping it from you on purpose" she croaked

"But you _were _keeping it from me" he replied in an emotionless tone

"I had no choice, Spencer. It was either that or affect your performance on this case" she cried

Spencer rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger "d-do you, do you have..."

"-yeah" Cody whispered, before reaching into her messenger bag and pulling out a white square envelope. With a shaking arm she reached over and handed it to him. Spencer opened the envelope and slid out the printed sonogram; taking a moment to stare at the picture before throwing it onto the table and rushing out of the room

"I can't do this right now, I'm sorry" he mumbled.

**OOO**

The team were gathered at the airport ready to board the jet. Reid and Syler had stayed separate since the incident the day before. There had been an awkward atmosphere amongst the entire team; the idea of the two youngest members hiding a relationship was still a hard thing to wrap their heads around.

As they began to walk onto the jet Emily purposely lagged behind, finding herself alone with Cody

"Cody, I-I am so sorry-"

"It's fine, Emily. Really, it was an accident... I understand" Cody smiled before giving her a reassuring pat on the arm and heading towards her usual seat on the plane.

**...**

They had been in the air for around half an hour. Everyone was settled in their seats; Morgan, Garcia, Prentiss and JJ were sitting around the table, talking and playing poker while Hotch lay on the couch close by listening to music and Rossi sat reading a book.

Cody walked over and sat next to Spencer who was sitting in the corner, daydreaming as he gazed out of the window

"We're going to have to talk about this" Cody said in a subdued manner

"I'm not ready to talk about it" he sighed

"yeah? Well I wasn't exactly ready to get pregnant either, but I guess sometimes you don't always get a choice in the matter" she replied sarcastically

Spencer raised his eyebrows and turned to look at his girlfriend who was becoming more and more short-tempered "can we... please talk alone when we land?" he asked in a whisper

"Okay" she agreed before beginning to stand up "but..." she began to whisper "please just... tell me you still love me"

"You know I do" he sighed.


	30. Chapter 30

The plane landed roughly into a heavy shower of icy cold rain; the weather fitting perfectly with the atmosphere amongst Hotch, Syler and Reid. The team walked down from the jet and sprinted quickly to the SUV's waiting near the runway.

By the time they arrived back at Quantico it was still raining heavily. They bolted inside and hurried up to the bullpen before throwing down their go-bags and breathing large sighs of relief to be indoors. As they stood around discussing their case-reports, Hotch walked calmly past and straight up to his office. The sound of his door closing behind him was met by the entire team turning towards the two youngest agents.

"I can't believe you guys have been keeping this from us" said JJ in a surprised tone

"Yeah, I mean... I seriously had no idea!" Prentiss added

"Me neither" Morgan finished in a stern and unhappy tone as he stepped towards them with his arms folded across his chest. There was a long silence before he eventually released his arms and placed a hand on each of their shoulders "but congratulations. I can't think of two people better suited" a sincere smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Cody's eyes began to tear up slightly in relief as she let a subtle smile flicker across her face, while nothing but bewilderment showed on Spencer's –the news of his girlfriend's pregnancy still very new to him.

"Here here!" Garcia called out before pulling each of them into a friendly hug "and come on, guys! Imagine how... tiny and gifted and beautiful and amazing and perfect and ridiculously smart this baby would be!" she grinned as Rossi rolled his eyes at her in a friendly manner

"She's right; I mean, it may not seem like it right now, but this is a good thing" JJ said in an encouraging tone as she rubbed the pair's arms reassuringly

"We'll let you guys talk before you have to go face _that" _Prentiss gestured her head towards Hotch's office before the group began to file out and head towards the break room.

Cody turned to face Spencer who was already looking down at her; they pulled up chairs and sat at his desk. There was an awkward silence for a moment as Cody watched Spencer battle with himself over what to say and how to say it

"You haven't been talking much" Cody said quietly

"I know- I'm sorry" replied Spencer sincerely as he looked up into her bright green eyes "I just... This is a lot to take in"

I know, it's a surprise to me too"

"I thought you were on birth control" he mumbled in a questioning tone

"I _was _on birth control" Cody countered quickly

"Well clearly not" he said in an ironic tone

"Okay, Spencer, just... think back, for a second, on all the times we've had sex. Now, in those times, give me a... Rough estimate of how many times we've used a condom" she whispered

"Well..." Spencer began, curling his mouth cutely in thought "never"

"Exactly -never, not once; now I'm a smart girl Spencer; do you not think if I wasn't on birth control I would've made you wear one?"

"But I just- I don't- The contraceptive pill is the most reliable guard against pregnancy; it's over 99 per cent effective a-and for most brands, as long as the next pill is taken within 12 hours of regular dosage time, its efficacy remains unaffected. The pill _you _take contains cyproterone acetate, an anti-androgen that–"

"–well I guess we must just be in that one per cent then, because I'm pregnant" Cody interrupted as she reached for a half-empty can of energy drink which was sitting on the desk.

"You can't have this" Spencer stated as he pulled the can from her grasp "there may not be any solid evidence behind it but I don't care; caffeine- no- you're pregnant, you can't have something with this much caffeine in"

Cody sat startled and confused; he was... protecting the baby? "well if I wasn't mistaken I'd say you were planning on keeping it"

" What?" he asked

"I just... Why would you be so concerned about it –"

"–Because it's mine, and I care about it"

There was yet another long pause as Cody sat staring into Spencer's eyes; after a moment or two, he let a slight, sincere smile grow across his face.

It was then that Cody began to cry "I'm sorry. I know you never wanted to be put in this position. I know you're scared of passing-"

"-Being scared doesn't mean anything, Cody. Yes, I didn't ever want kids because of the genetic component to schizophrenia. But that doesn't mean I haven't ever thought about what it would be like to be a father. It's just that... the bad has always outweighed the good; I'm awkward, nervous, unsure. I have a crazy job, a crappy apartment; I'd be a terrible dad on so many levels." He laughed ironically "But... The fact that I've known I'm having a baby for less than two days and already I've fallen in love- I don't know, maybe the good actually outweighs the bad on this one."

"Y-You... Want to have this baby?" Cody choked

"Maybe" he muttered through a cute smile "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't all I've been thinking about since I found out-"

It was then that Cody jumped up from her seat and ran for the bathroom to throw up.


	31. Chapter 31

"Cody?" Spencer's voice echoed against the tiles "Cody I really shouldn't be in here so please just tell me you're okay" he called out again nervously; his body language screaming 'awkward' as he stood inside the ladies bathroom.

There was a click and a creak as the cubicle door furthest away opened slowly and Cody began to emerge from inside; her eyes were heavy and watering and her body was weak and shaking. She looked across to Spencer who was awkwardly scratching at the back of his head; it was then that she ran towards him, threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into the side of his jaw. In response, Spencer immediately wrapped his arms around her petite frame and kissed the side of her head.

"You really want to keep it?" she whispered

"Yes… I think I do" he smiled calmly.

Cody raised her head, bringing them face to face "good, because I think I do too" she choked through a teary-eyed smile. The pair grinned at each other in slight relief before sharing a quick yet intimate kiss.

"C-can we get out of here, please? I feel extremely uncomfortable right now" Spencer stammered as he looked around the ladies room.

Cody giggled a little "yeah, let's go. We have to go talk to Hotch anyway".

**OOO**

Hotch sat sternly in his chair, his reserved exterior hiding his huge amount of inner conflict. He straightened the stack of files on his desk and continued to rub his mouth with the palm of his hand. There was a quiet tap on his office door which caused him to sit up straight and clasp his hands together before placing them in front of him on the desk.

"Come in" he called firmly.

Spencer and Cody walked into the office tentatively, closing the door behind them and sitting on the two chairs which were facing Hotch across his desk.

"I think it's important I begin by saying how _serious _the rules regarding fraternization are, and how you have endangered not only your own, but also _my _position on this team" Hotch began strictly "I compromised my professionalism to allow you two to live together after the Jake Brighton case" Cody winced slightly at the mention of her kidnapper's name "and in return you two have done the one thing I trusted you not to do! If Strauss gets a wind of this, there's a chance all three of us could be stripped of our badges"

"We didn't mean for this to happen, Hotch, I swear" Cody cried quietly

"Whether you meant for it to happen or not, it _still _happened, Cody!" Hotch countered

"With all due respect, sir, this is more than just… sex. We're in a relationship" she argued back

"Well even more so, did you two really think you could keep something this serious a secret forever?"

Cody dropped her head, allowing tears to drip down into her lap

"I love her, Hotch" said Spencer in a gravelly whisper as he avoided eye-contact with his superior "and… if staying with her means I lose my job, then… I g- I guess you should just f-fire me now"

"No" Cody interrupted as she raised her head "I think you and I both know that Reid is… too much of an asset to this team; letting him go would be a huge mistake" she argued "I'm willing to step down from my position with the BAU".

Hotch remained silent as he stared at the equally brilliant pair in front of him, his stern exterior was beginning to deteriorate

"Who else knows about you two?" he asked

"Um… Y-You, Prentiss, Morgan, Garcia, Rossi, and JJ" Cody answered quickly

There was another long pause as Hotch pondered "I agree with you, agent Syler; losing Reid would be highly detrimental to the team" the pair held their breaths as they waited for Hotch to continue "but… firing you, Cody, would be equally as foolish of me." The pair exhaled identical sighs of utter relief "I'm willing to make a deal"

"Anything" Spencer answered

"you two may continue as members of this team, but at _work_ and _on cases_ that is all you are –colleagues. The moment you two enter your work environment, as far as the bureau is concerned, your relationship does not exist. You refer to each other by surname, you sleep separately on cases, you do not make any reference to your relationship or the paternity of your child"

The two agents sat wide-eyed as they listened to Hotch's conditions "okay" Cody whispered while Spencer nodded in agreement.

"If Strauss finds out about you two, that's it; we're all on the chopping block" he stressed

"Yes, we understand, thank you so much" Cody cried as they got up to leave.

Hotch rose from his chair and walked around the desk to be closer to the couple "so... a baby, huh?" he asked in a more sincere tone

Cody nodded with a slight smile as she looked up at the only father-figure she'd ever had. Hotch didn't say anything else, instead he pulled the young agent into a protective hug before releasing her and shaking Spencer's hand kindly.

"I'm not happy about how things have turned out" Hotch began "but congratulations" he said, allowing a heartfelt smile to grow across his face.

**OOO**

The familiarity of the apartment was comforting; Spencer strolled over to the couch and threw the two go-bags on the floor before collapsing onto it. He was shortly followed by Cody, who fell beside him; close enough for him to wrap his arms around her and pull her into his body. They lay still for a few moments as they listened to each other's breathing; Spencer stroked her hair gently as she swirled her finger gently over his bare arm. After a minute or two, Cody lifted her head from his chest and placed a kiss on his cheek near his chin. In response, he placed both hands either side of her jaw and pulled her in to a deep kiss

"I love you" he whispered

"I love you too" she whispered back through a smile.

They continued to kiss, pressing their bodies into each other and wrapping their arms tightly around each other. It was then that Spencer pulled away and lifted himself from the couch. Cody sighed with slight disappointment as she watched to see what her boyfriend was doing.

"Do you still have the sonogram?" he asked as he began rummaging through her go-bag

"Front pocket" she replied in a confused tone

"ah" he uttered as he pulled the opened envelope out and slid out the picture, he stood up and began to walk towards the kitchen where he pulled a refrigerator magnet from the draw and stuck the picture in the middle of the fridge.

It hadn't been long since he'd found out he was going to be a father; in some ways it was still impossible to ever imagine himself being a dad. In fact, his awkwardness made it difficult for people to even picture him with a girl! But he'd done it; he'd found someone, someone who loved him just as much as he loved her –someone intelligent, interesting, funny, talented, _beautiful. _Someone who would soon give birth to the baby he never thought he'd ever have.


	32. Chapter 32

The plane flew swiftly into a grey mist of clouds, disappearing into a burst of strong wind. The team sat comfortably in their seats around the sophisticated layout of their private jet. Cody, however, sat curled into a tiny ball on the floor; she was leaning against the wall with her knees up to her chest, her head swirling drowsily with every movement of the plane.

"Cody, are you alright?" Hotch asked in a concerned voice

The news of the two youngest agents' relationship had been out long enough for the team to digest, however they were sure to hardly ever acknowledge it within working hours. The news of the baby was also something they had come to terms with –even the protective Hotch.

Cody stammered through her sentences, pausing every time they hit turbulence to prevent herself from throwing up "I'm fine. Bathroom's there" she pointed behind her to the bathroom door

"Oh" Hotch nodded as he realised her need to be close to it

"looks like flying's going to be an issue" Morgan stated

"No no, it's just the- turbulence" just as Cody began to insist she was fine, the jet hit a large air pocket and jolted downwards quickly before pulling back up again. With that, she clasped her mouth shut and scrambled into the bathroom before throwing her head over the toilet and beginning to throw up.

"Just be thankful she gets sick on planes and not cars. When my friend Kerrie was pregnant, she used to get motion sickness so bad that she had to keep barf bags in her glove compartment" Garcia said in her usual quippy tone

"poor Kerrie" said Prentiss

"Poor Kerrie? More like 'poor pedestrian'!" Garcia began to explain "little tip for you all: never throw a full barf bag out of a moving vehicle… you never know who you may hit."

The team laughed at their technical analyst's anecdote along with a few 'ew's and mumbles amongst them.

Cody came crawling from the bathroom and sat herself back in her original spot against the wall, she glanced up at Reid who was sitting across from her in one of the large cream-colored recliner chairs before exchanged a slight smile with him. Her stomach was now showing a bump, although her tiny frame made her look deceivingly larger than she actually was, her hair was tied back in a lose pony-tail and her alabaster-white complexion was anything from 'glowing'. However somehow, she still managed to look beautiful.

"I guess it's not long before you'll have to stop flying with us anyway" JJ pointed out

"eh, there's still plenty of time" said Cody in a laid-back tone

"Well… not really" Spencer began "Usually if you're carrying one baby and you've had an uncomplicated pregnancy in turn with being a healthy size and weight then you can fly up to 36 weeks of pregnancy. However, as you're so small, it's going to be a lot harder for you from 28 weeks onwards to even carry the baby and it's more likely that we're- uh- _you're _going to suffer mild complications. Therefore it's advised you don't fly from 28 weeks onward for risk of premature labour and other issues."

After his ramble, Spencer turned his attention quickly back to the brown file he'd be looking over. Leaving Cody staring blankly in his direction as she quickly tried to absorb the information he'd spilled out.

"Well, as I said, there's still plenty of time." She said awkwardly "I'm only 14 weeks" she said in a breathy laugh to the others as she rubbed her round stomach.

**OOO**

"I could kill you!" Cody whispered aggressively to Spencer

"What? Why?" Spencer whispered back in a confused tone.

The pair stood in a line amongst the others, waiting to check in at the hotel they were staying at while on the case

Cody looked around to make sure no one was listening in "you told everyone on the jet I won't be able to work cases after 28 weeks!"

"…but you won't-"

"Yes, I know that, but I didn't want _them _to know! I planned on working right up to the due date, genius!" Cody explained

Spencer's stared at his fellow agent, his attractive hazel-brown eyes wide with confusion "Cody you are _not _working right up to having this baby, d-do you realise the stress that could put you under?" he reasoned

"I know, but- I just- I don't want to-"

"Tough-" Spencer whispered in an unusually assertive tone before the line shuffled forward and their conversation was cut short by the hotel manager asking to see his credentials.

**...**

A few minutes later as the team began to head up to their rooms, Spencer walked up slowly behind Cody; she was carrying nothing but her room key as Morgan had immediately offered to carry her go-bag to the room for her

"Besides, I just realised you'll be too big to even stand up from the couch without assistance, let alone work a case" he grinned as he leaned over and muttered into her ear from behind as they continued to walk down the hallway

Cody laughed slightly at her boyfriend's banter, ignoring the small fleck of fear that quickly shot through her at the thought of being so heavily pregnant.

"Okay, bright and early tomorrow, guys; I want you all downstairs and ready to head to the precinct by 8 sharp. Get a good night's rest, I'll see you all tomorrow" said Hotch before turning and heading towards his room nearby.


	33. Chapter 33

"So we're looking for someone unorganised and increasingly erratic" Hotch said

"But they haven't always been this way, this is something that has spiralled out of control. Which means that we're probably looking for someone who is very recently unemployed" Cody continued

"-So, what; you think losing their job has triggered this?" one of the officers asked as they sat around listening to the team's briefing

"Uh no, actually, the job-loss will most likely be a result of _losing control_" Reid answered "the unsub has gradually become less and less competent in daily life. Their hallucinations are becoming more frequent and vivid; they're aware of it, but at the same time it's consuming them. Even to the point of not being able to handle a job-"

"Which leads us to believe that they're close to a psychotic break" Prentiss continued on from Spencer "this is the point where they will completely let go of their grasp on reality and allow their condition to overcome them- no longer being aware of their actions"

"But surely the 'break' is the point where they _start _killing?" another officer asked

"Usually, yes, but in this case the unsub has been experiencing psychotic-blackouts; these are moments in which they do not know what they're doing and they do not remember afterwards, however they can still come back from them. For now" Morgan answered.

"We hope you've found this information useful, if you have any more questions please don't hesitate to utilize one of us. We have our technical analyst working on short-listing people who fit the profile, in the meantime be sure to stay vigilant, thank you" Hotch finished, before the room began to empty as officers, detectives and agents left to continue their work.

**OOO**

Cody sat behind a large desk in the precinct which had been freed for the team to use. Hotch had sent Morgan and Prentiss to the mortuary to examine the victim's bodies, while he, JJ and Rossi went to the scene of the last murder. Spencer had been put in charge of profiling the victims in an attempt to find a link between the murders; he sat across the small, cramped bullpen from Cody –leaning back on his chair with a lap full of folders and a whiteboard nearby which was covered in his intelligent scribbles.

"Well hello there" Spencer raised his head and looked across the bullpen to see a tall, handsome man leaning on Cody's desk; he looked well-built with a natural tan and his thick, dark hair was short and neat –the polar-opposite to Spencer who was slim and tan less with long, shaggy hair curling up an inch or two above his shoulders "I don't believe I saw _you _this morning" the man smiled down at Cody

"Um, no I don't believe you did. I'm SSA Syler, I'm with the BAU" she said politely before raising her hand to shake his

"Detective Hunter- Joe Hunter" he said as he shook her hand

"Nice to meet you"

"And let me assure you it is _extremely _nice to meet you" Detective Hunter flirted as he grinned down at the exceptionally beautiful agent. Cody blushed at the detective's comment and turned her attention back down at the profile she had been asked to build up on.

Spencer watched inconspicuously as a little fleck of jealousy began coursing through him

"So you're a profiler, huh? Smart and beautiful; just how I like 'em" Detective Hunter teased in a flirtatious manner

Cody grinned slightly before raising her head again to look up at him "oh you are seriously barking up the wrong tree right now" she laughed

"Ah, gay" he said in a disappointed yet jokey tone

"Not quite" she muttered back with a smirk before rising from behind the desk, her round stomach protruding under her sweater. Detective Hunter stood quietly as he tried very hard to not let his eyes flicker down towards her bump. "You have permission to walk away" Cody said smoothly with a grin

"Thanks" he replied before turning and heading out of the bullpen.

Cody looked across the room and caught a glance of Spencer looking over at her before he quickly dropped his head back down to the folders in his hands trying to act like he hadn't been watching her.

**OOO**

There was a light tap on the hotel room door, Spencer crept over and opened it slowly before allowing his girlfriend to sneak inside, and shutting it silently behind her.

"hey" she whispered with a smile as he walked towards her

"hey" he whispered back, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a kiss "Hotch will freak if he finds out you're here"

"I just wanted to see you for a minute" she explained as she walked towards the bed and sat down on the edge. Spencer always found it amazing how big her belly looked when she sat down, it was hard to believe she was only 14 weeks pregnant

"What's up?" he asked with a flicker of worry in his voice

"I know you saw me talking to that detective today" she began as he came and sat down beside her "and I know it must have sucked not being able to… come over and say something"

"To be honest, Cody I wouldn't ever say anything for fear of getting my head ripped off anyway… So it's okay"

Cody laughed quietly "but seriously, I know it must be rough when stuff like that happens. I mean, I know I'd be furious if a girl hit on you and there was nothing I could do" there was a long pause as Spencer stared past Cody in a daydream; she could almost see the cogs turning in his brilliant mind "tell me what's bothering you" she reached over and held his hand

"Pretending that _you're _not mine is hard enough… What am I going to do when there's a baby here and I… I have to… conceal my pride. I'm going to be a father and nobody's allowed to know" he said in a defeated tone

Cody squeezed his hand tightly as she struggled to find words. She had nothing to say that would comfort her boyfriend; he was right, and it broke her heart. "Then I'll quit" she whispered extremely quietly

"What? Cody, no don't be ridiculous" Spencer argued

"I'm not being ridiculous! You're right, Spencer, none of this is fair. So it only makes sense that I leave the bureau" she argued back with sincerity.

Spencer's handsome face twisted in confusion as he looked at her, he knew she was right. But he didn't want her to go; there had to be a way around this.


	34. Chapter 34

She lay back on the cushioned exam table with her baggy, tie-dyed t-shirt rolled up to her chest. The icy-cold tingle of gel sent a shiver across her skin, before the chill eventually began to sooth as Doctor Green ran the transducer over her round stomach. Cody reached her hand out to the young Dr Reid who was sitting next to the bed with his eyes glued to the small screen near by. An echo of heartbeat began to thump through the monitor, slowly growing louder as a clear black and white image of a tiny, unborn baby began to appear.

"There you go, everything is absolutely fine" Dr Green reassured as she moved the transducer around to get a better angle.

Cody was now 6-and-a-half months pregnant; it was 2am on a Friday morning and she had finally persuaded Spencer to call the doctor after not feeling the baby move for days on end.

"Thank god" she sighed as she threw her arms over her eyes in relief

"I told you there was nothing to worry about" Spencer smiled as he gazed at the picture of his unborn son or daughter "it's completely natural for the foetus to stop moving so much for periods of time" he began to ramble before being stopped by Cody who had leaned over and placed a hand either side of his face|

"Spencer, babe, for the last time can you try not to refer to our child as 'the foetus'?" she asked in a playful yet fed-up tone

"Sorry" he replied with a cute, awkward smile.

Dr Green laughed slightly before switching off the sonogram and gliding over to her computer screen on her wheelie-chair "he's right though. Everything looks absolutely perfect" she said as she typed away on her keyboard "now seeing as you're here, I might as well use this as an opportunity to tell you the sex of your baby… If you want to know, that is?"

The couple looked at each other for a moment

"maybe we should wait" Cody uttered with a wide-eyed smile

"But I don't like surprises" Spencer countered

"It's either a boy or a girl, not that much of a surprise" 

**OOO**

The streets were pitch-black as Spencer cruised through the empty roads in his Volvo. Cody sat rubbing her stomach in the passenger seat as she gazed over at him; the occasional yellow-orange glow of street lights flickered along his beautiful profile as he continued to drive.

"You'll be glad we waited" Cody uttered as she attempted to justify their decision to keep the sex of the baby a surprise

Spencer pulled his eyes from the road for a moment as he looked over at her "I know" he let out a slight smile "I just wish you'd start taking it easy now"

"I've told you, I'm working for as long as I can before I put in my resignation" she sighed before turning and resting her head against the passenger window

"I also wish you'd give up on this ridiculous idea to quit"

"It's not ridiculous, Spencer. It's the best thing for everyone"

"Yeah, 'everyone' being: Me and the baby. What about you? You love this job" he countered

"yes. But I love _you _more." Cody argued softly "anyway, I'm bored of having this same argument over and over; can we talk about something else now…" 

**OOO**

The pair dawdled into the apartment at exactly 3.30am; Spencer threw his keys onto the table by the door as Cody headed straight for the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.

"Well…" Spencer began as he strolled into the kitchen behind her looking down at his watch "Seeing as we only have four-and-a-half hours before we have to be at Quantico; I think I'm going to take a bath and help myself to a lot of coffee" he smiled

"I'm sorry" Cody replied remorsefully as she turned to face him

Immediately, Spencer wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin comfortably on her head; he could feel the bump between them as he pulled her close "it's okay" he sighed "it's normal to be worried about things going wrong"

Cody nuzzled her face into his chest as he kissed the top of her head "you don't realise how amazing you are" she looked up at him "you're going to be such a good dad"

"I like your optimism" he laughed. 

**OOO**

The water was piping hot as steam rose up from the bath tub and melted into beads of moisture on the tiles. Spencer lay back with his arms resting on either side of the tub, allowing the heat to overcome him and sooth his tightened muscles. He rested his head on the back of the tub before pushing the wet hair back out of his face and closing his eyes –relaxing into the water.

**…...  
><strong>

"Hey I was just thinking" Cody began as she walked into the bathroom, waking Spencer from a momentary doze "when are we going to see your mom?"

"We're not." Spencer croaked, still slightly bewildered as he shifted up a little in the bath tub

Cody sat on the edge of the tub with a stunned look aimed right at him "Spencer, she's going to be a grandmother. She has to find out at some point"

"a-and she _will_ know... When the baby's old enough to tell her itself"

Cody narrowed her eyes at Spencer as he awkwardly ran a hand through his long, damp hair.

No words were spoken between the two as she stood up, left the room and returned with a cell phone in her hand. She dialled a number and, without breaking eye-contact with him, placed the phone against her ear "Hey Pen, sorry it's so early; but could you do me a favour when you get to work? Book the jet to Nevada?"

_"Sure thing, beautiful. When for?" _Penelope replied in a chirpy tone as if she'd been up for hours

Cody raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner at Spencer who was clumsily emerging quickly from the water, mouthing 'no' and making cutting-throat signals, all the while trying to fumble a towel around his naked waist

"Tomorrow?" she asked casually

_"Okie Dokie I'll do it as soon as I set foot in the office."  
><em>  
>"Thank you, Sweetie" she smiled before hanging up and smiling cheekily at Spencer who was now standing facing her in his towel, a dumbstruck look on his face.<p>

"Okay, you know what… fine." He finally said cockily as Cody began strolling out of the room with a playful, smug look on her face "good luck" he continued "I mean; I'm sure it'll be _easy_ to make a good first impression on my paranoid-schizophrenic mother" he grinned evilly at the back of her head as she stopped dead in the door way, panic flooding in her eyes.

But coolly, and without showing Spencer her panic, she continued to walk away.


	35. Chapter 35

The jet soared through the crystal blue sky, powering through the delicate white clouds and bending with ease as it changed direction ever so slightly. Inside, the plane seemed much larger with just two agents occupying its sleek, sophisticated interior; Spencer slid his long fingers in between Cody's as they sat side by side at the table. A stack of three large books sat on the table in front of Spencer; he had finished reading through all of them in record time and was now listening to music on Cody's iPod.

"Okay this was a bad idea" Cody admitted as she continued to fidget in her seat –she had been extremely unsettled since take-off, something the team had become used to since her flight-sickness developed at the beginning of her pregnancy.

"What?" Spencer asked as he pulled the buds from his ears "Why?"

"She's going to hate me. She's-"

"Code, she's not going to hate you." He interrupted as the panic began to quicken in her voice

"Yes, Spencer, she will!" Cody began, speaking with overly animated arms "I can just see it now…'oh here's my beautiful son, my pride and joy, the apple of my eye… And here's the slut that let him knock her up!'"

Spencer couldn't stop his handsome, wide-toothed grin from spreading across his face "She's not going to say that!" he laughed "besides, we're almost there now. And you were right; it's terrible that I haven't told her about us, I need to come clean about everything."

There was a long pause between the two "I just want her to like me"

"She will. I promise" he reassured, before pulling her hand to his mouth and kissing her knuckles gently.

**OOO**

The plain beige carpet still had a subtle spring to it, even after so many years of being there. The walls too still remained a plain beige color, with dated paintings of flowers and fruit hanging in a cluttered fashion on every wall. There was a slight medicated scent in the air, one that was all too similar for Spencer –nostalgic, even; bringing back many sad, distressing memories with every burst of medicinal aroma.

An aged woman in a pair of soft pink scrubs sat behind the large wooden desk. Her smile touched her crinkled eyes with a slight sparkle as she lifted her head to see a fidgety Dr. Reid standing in front of her.

"Oh, Dr. Reid it's so good to see you!" she called out warmly before turning her attention to the young girl standing beside him "and who's this beautiful young lady?"

"Uh, M-Margret this is my girlfriend, Cody Syler" he replied with quiet apprehension

"Well" Margret breathed in pleasant surprise "it's about time you got yourself a nice girl"

Cody smiled politely at the older woman; clearly she'd dealt with Spencer's mother long enough to build a relationship with him

"I'll take you on through to your mother; her spirits have been so high since we told her you were coming" said Margret as she began to shuffle around, picking up files and a bunch of keys as she went "come on through" she gestured to the couple, only to develop a wide-eyed expression when the bottom half of Cody's body appeared from behind the desk. There was a long, awkward pause as Margret's eyes darted between Spencer's face and Cody's stomach. "Will your mother be needing extra medication this lunch time?" the friendly nurse asked sarcastically.

**OOO**

"Diana, your son is here" said Margret in a soft voice as she gently placed a hand on Diana's shoulder

"Oh good" Diana smiled before closing her book and placing it on the coffee table in front of her.

Spencer walked slowly towards his mother, both hands stayed firmly in his pockets as his awkwardly long legs shuffled over to the armchair next to her

"Hey mom" he said anxiously

"Spencer" she sighed happily "I'm so glad you're here"

"I'll leave you to talk" Margret smiled before walking back over to the front desk, leaving Spencer and Diana to talk alone.

Cody stood in the background, out of Spencer's mother's view. She watched as the pair began to talk kindly, and waited patiently to be introduced.

"You're so thin" said Diana

"Really? It's funny you should say that because I-I've actually gained a little weight" he explained

"Not enough" she replied in a stern, yet motherly tone

The pair continued to small talk for another few minutes, before Spencer finally took advantage of a silence in conversation to break the news

"Mom, I haven't- um- I haven't been completely honest with you in my letters" he began tentatively

"What do you mean, Spencer?"

"I've- uh, I failed to mention the fact that I… I met someone"

"…A girl?"

"Yes, mom, a girl" he laughed nervously

"Is she smart?" Diana asked, almost like this was the only thing of importance within the situation

"Yes, she's extremely smart" he smiled anxiously

"Good, I've known since you were a boy that you need good mental stimulation, Spencer; a smart girl is the only girl you should be concerning yourself with" she rambled aimlessly in her motherly tone

"I brought her here to meet you" Spencer blurted out, his nerves causing him to panic.

The discomfort was clear on Diana's face; a new person intruding on her son's life was something she didn't know how to take

"She's really nice and–"

"No" she interrupted "No, Spencer, no I- I'm not introducing myself to some random girl you just met" Diana began to fidget; crossing and uncrossing her legs, playing with her robe and pulling it tighter around her body

"Mom, please; she's not just some 'random girl'. Cody's going to be in my life for a very long time and I really need you to meet her"

"Well if you're really that certain she's going to be around for a while then this can wait"

Spencer began to fidget too; he hadn't expected his mother to be so difficult. With one hand he began to rub his jaw and mouth, while running the other through his messy curls "we're having a baby" he said timidly

"What?" Diana breathed in shock

"You're... You're going to be a grandma. A-And I'd really like you to meet the mother of your grandchild"

"How long have you been with this girl, Spencer?" she asked worriedly

"A long time… 18 months or so"

"And I'm only finding out about her now? When she's already pregnant?"

"I wanted to tell you, but I was just too nervous, I'm sorry" he said in his slightly gravelly voice, he never wanted to disappoint his mother

"Can you come back tomorrow?" Diana asked simply "I'm too tired for this"

"Of course, mom, yes" Spencer agreed before standing up to leave "see you tomorrow"

Diana didn't reply. Instead she picked her book back up and opened it quietly.


	36. Chapter 36

"Hey, we can do this" Cody whispered reassuringly to Spencer, as he sat on the edge of the hotel bed with his head in hands. Slowly and calmly, she sat down next to him before placing a hand on his back and rubbing it gently.

"I wasn't expecting this to be so nerve-racking. I knew it'd be difficult but… I guess I'd deluded myself into thinking she'd somehow be happy" he spoke out

"She's your mom" Cody replied slowly and quietly "but you know she's volatile, Spencer. You have to be patient with her"

"I know but… You're practically my first girlfriend." He began in an embarrassed tone "I've never been through this before; I've never… been so close to someone that I've wanted to introduce them to this part of my life."

"Yesterday she told us to go back. So we're going to get dressed, and we're going to go see her today and everything's going to be great" Cody continued to reassure her anxious boyfriend

Spencer ran his fingers through his messy hair "I'm not used to this, I've just about gotten my head around the idea of being in a relationship with someone" he laughed matter-of-factly

"You're exaggerating" she replied with a giggle

"Cody, do I _look_ like I've dated a lot of women?" he smiled

"No." she chuckled before pausing "The way you are in the _bedroom_, however, suggests otherwise"

Spencer laughed to himself "I guess I'm just comfortable with you"

"Hmm, I like to think that I'm just _so hot _that not even the shy, awkward Spencer Reid can keep his hands off me" she joked sarcastically

Spencer turned his torso to face her before looking at her with raised eyebrows "I swear your head just grew ten times bigger" he jeered.

**OOO**

Cody had pulled her hair into a pretty side-parting, and braided a single lock which blended softly underneath her loose curls. She had pushed a clear, rose-flavoured lip balm across her lips and, like always, wore no other makeup to accompany it. Her ever-swelling chest had been nicely covered in a white, silk shirt under a thick, patterned sweater which hung loosely over her round stomach, and her black leggings and lace-up boots were the first things she'd pulled out of her bag to wear with them. She looked into the mirror nervously as her large, bright green eyes stared back reflecting the worry she was trying so hard to keep inside.

Spencer came wandering out of the small bathroom; his hair was curlier than usual since he'd hurriedly towel-dried it after his shower. He had slight stubble across his jaw which was only visible from a close distance, and his pale blue shirt was buttoned right up to collar against his long, thin neck. Over his shirt he wore a grey, woollen cardigan and a pair of slim-line chords in a similar shade. He walked across to the bed where he sat down to pull on his converse.

"You ready?" Cody asked from across the room as she began to pull on her long, grey crombie coat

"Almost" he replied as he tightened his laces, not once looking up from his feet.

Cody walked over to where her boyfriend sat and knelt in front of him in order to see into his nervous face "this will be okay. Whether it takes a day… two days… a week… a year!" she laughed "this will work out. Hopefully before this one decides to come" she patted her stomach "but however long it takes, we'll get through it" she smiled before leaning up and pushing her rose-tinted lips against his. Spencer was taken aback by the unexpected kiss, taking just seconds before pushing his lips back against hers. His gentle, slender hands travelled up from his laces and placed themselves in her hair; Cody reciprocated, wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him in to deepen the kiss.

The pair pulled away, resting their foreheads against each other's and smiling softly.

"Come on, let's go" Cody whispered

**OOO**

It was almost like Diana hadn't moved since yesterday; she was sitting in the same chair, reading the same book with the same vacant expression on her face. However, she _had_ moved at some point; her robe was a different colour and her hair looked softer, like it had been freshly washed.

Spencer took his usual tentative steps over to his mother and sat down next to her. He placed a gentle hand on her knee and began to talk delicately to her. After what felt like an eternity, Cody saw Spencer glance over before gesturing her to join them. 'This is it' she thought to herself as her heart began to race 100 beats per footstep –or at least, that's what it felt like.

"Mom, this is Cody. Cody, this is my mother Diana" Spencer almost whispered

"It's lovely to finally meet you, Spencer's spoken so fondly of you" Cody held out her hand to Diana in the hope that she would shake it.

Diana, however, avoided eye contact at all costs as she played with the collar of her robe and began shifting in her seat

"Yes… hello" she finally replied before briefly shaking her extended hand

Spencer slid up the small couch, giving Cody enough room to sit down next to him "so, mom… what have you done today?" he asked awkwardly in an attempt to alleviate the uncomfortable silence

"I've just sat reading my book" she replied unenthusiastically.

Cody's eyes shifted to the book Diana had put down on the small coffee table "'A Room With A View' –I love that book" she smiled to herself

"You've read it?" Diana seemed more interested all of a sudden

"Uh, y-yes" Cody began, relieved to have made some progress "I think it's one of Forster's best"

"I agree"

"Have you read any of his later works? 'A Passage to India' is wonderful"

"I have. Though I've not read that particular one" Diana relaxed into her chair, her eye contact with Cody began to last for longer periods of time

"Oh I'd be happy to loan it to you, it's excellent"

Conversation slowly began to improve, eventually involving Spencer too. A few hours had passed and the three were still talking fluidly; though the relationship, baby or any other personal matter had not even been acknowledged yet.

"Oh yes I agree, 'Annabel Lee' is such a beautiful poem; I'm actually planning on reading it to the baby before his or her bedtime" Cody smiled. But it wasn't long before her smile began to fade as she saw Diana's reaction to her comment. Her face had lost all emotion and her eyes had once again dropped down to the table in front of her.

"M-maybe when we bring your grandson or daughter up here to see you, y-you can… read them some of your favourites too?" Spencer chipped in with a cautious tone after seeing his mother's face.

"I'd like that" Diana whispered as a smile gently touched the corners of her mouth.

**OOO**

With a large thud, the bags dropped to floor next to the front door. Spencer kicked it closed behind him and wandered over to the couch before dropping onto it and sighing with relief.

"Happy to be home?" Cody asked with a smile as she leaned over from the back of the couch and kissed her boyfriend adorningly on the lips.

"Very" he smiled back "though I could do with not being back at the unit first thing tomorrow"

"You can go on maternity leave for me if you like?" she joked

"I don't think they'll allow that, I'm not pregnant enough yet"

"really? Wow what a coincidence, neither am I"

"You're almost 7 months; that's pretty darn pregnant" Spencer countered with humour in his voice, before lifting himself from the couch and walking around to pull Cody into his arms.


	37. Chapter 37

The sophisticated bustle of the bullpen was nothing more than a hum to Cody as she sat rubbing her belly absent mindedly She had grown accustomed to the noise around her, as well as the constant sense of urgency in the air and the subtle smell of coffee. The young agent sat at her desk reading through stacks of files she had offered to categorise for JJ. Her blush lips were a deeper pink from where she had bit down on them and her brow ached from squinting with concentration. But nonetheless, she ploughed through each case with persistence; a persistence that could only be achieved by loving a job as much as she loved hers.

The rest of the team sat up in the conference room where they were discussing a case. Cody had felt extremely jealous of them carrying out a meeting without her, but she continued to remind herself that joining in would be pointless, especially as today was her last day with the BAU.

She let out an internal sigh as her head tilted to one side, allowing her to catch a glimpse of a copy of her ultrasound which sat on the desk; the beautiful outline of the dainty spine, and the fragile, contorted limbs of her unborn baby lay resting under a blue-gray haze of pixel and shadow. The picture had been stuck to a small piece of glittered card, courtesy of Penelope Garcia, and reflected a much tinier, much more peaceful baby than the one that loved to squirm about nowadays.

The lower, right side of her stomach was being kicked inside out by tiny feet, while the rest of the little body tossed and turned, just like Spencer when he had trouble sleeping. Even before entering the world, Cody knew he or she was going to be just like his or her dad.

**OOO**

The door of the conference room opened; the creak of its hinges audible from the lower level where Cody still sat at her desk.

"I gotta run home first; I need to repack my bag" she overheard Emily in the middle of a conversation

"Alright, see you in a few" JJ replied as she walked along the balcony and into her office.

"You're going now?" Cody asked in an almost heartbroken tone to Morgan who had crossed the bullpen towards his desk

"Yeah, why wouldn't we be?" he answered casually as he sat down in his chair and swivelled it around to face her.

Cody sighed, disappointed at the thought of the team leaving "I thought you were just analysing some cases, I didn't think you guys were actually going on one"

Spencer strolled over to join the two agents; one hand clutching a cup of coffee while the other sat coolly in the pocket of his navy blue pants "what's up?"

"You're going on a case?" she stared up at him, her large, green eyes disheartened

"I know" Spencer began, before lowering his voice and pulling up a chair beside her desk "I was going to try and get out of it but I just couldn't. I'm sorry" he gave an apologetic arm stroke

"You shouldn't let yourself get so upset about it, Code" Morgan interjected

"Dude, it's my last day and you guys are just… jetting off on a case"

"Come on, girl, it's not like we're off on a vacation" he laughed "we just… We can't turn down a case because one of our agents is going on maternity leave, it'd be ridiculous"

"I know, I know, of course you can't but- I don't know- I just-" Cody felt herself getting flustered "It's my last day; it would have been nice to have my family here to- I don't know, send me off"

"You need to stop with this idea that you're not coming back" Garcia interrupted in a friendly yet disciplinary tone as she strutted fabulously over to the three agents "we all know you'll be back"

"But I'm _not _coming back" Cody laughed "this is it for me here"

"Of course it's not!"

"Guys, I've put in an application to be transferred to the IOD, I'm going"

"Why are you so adamant on leaving?" Morgan asked

"Because Sp-" she stopped herself before looking around, then lowered her voice to a whisper and continued to explain "Spencer and I… can't hide this forever"

The corner of Spencer's mouth curled in awkward tension; part of him knew she was right, but part of him just didn't want her to go. 

**OOO**

"I'll come home with you" Spencer murmured as he caught up with Cody who was making her way to the elevators

"Won't you miss the plane?"

"Prentiss had to go home so we have time" he explained.

It hadn't been emotional like Cody had anticipated. She'd built up an idea in her head of what saying goodbye would be like; Rossi would wish her luck in that warm yet firm way he was so very good at, while the girls would coo over her 8-month-pregnant stomach and hand her little gifts for the baby while choking back tears. Morgan would flash his smouldering grin and say something heart warming and personal, like 'good luck, Ribena' or something equally as sweet. Then Hotch would pull her into a paternal hug and place a hand protectively on the back of her head to keep her from looking up into his cloudy, glossy eyes which were slowly filling with proud tears. She had imagined it all, but not one part came true. No one person wished her luck, or pulled her into an emotional embrace, she hadn't even had a chance to _speak_ to a few of them. For a moment she was disappointed, but after a minute or two, it became somewhat comforting –a grounding reminder that she would see them all just as frequently as she had done for the past two years. And that her leaving today wasn't goodbye, in fact, she had been silly to ever think it was.

"Oh, okay then." She said with a subdued smile

"Are you alright?" Spencer asked worriedly as they stepped into the elevator.

Cody felt her body tighten with anxiety "I'm scared" 

**OOO**

The knots in Cody's stomach seemed to grow with every second that went by. Her main focus was keeping calm, paying attention to her breathing and not letting herself be overcome with panic. Of course she had stayed home alone since her attack, but not at 8 months pregnant with no job to keep her occupied.

"You can do this, nothing is going to happen to you I _promise_" Spencer reassured as he walked his nervous girlfriend into the apartment.

Her breathing grew heavier as she spoke "I know, I just… What if something goes wrong and-"

"Nothing will go wrong, y-you're just worrying." Spencer never felt much good in situations like this "but y-you have to stop panicking; see, your sympathetic nervous system will start releasing stress hormones like cortisol which can boost blood sugar levels a-and triglycerides that can cause physical reactions like dizziness, headaches, nausea, muscle tension, muscle aches, a fast heartbeat-"

"Spencer, I know, I have a masters in psychology"

He blushed awkwardly "sorry, I just don't want you putting yourself at risk by panicking, especially not with the baby..."

Cody paused, giving herself a chance to calm down. She took a deep inhalation of breath "I'll try not to" she breathed out slowly, allowing herself to smile at him "thank you" she placed a hand on the side of his face, cupping his defined jaw which was slightly prickly with stubble, she lifted herself onto tiptoes and kissed his cheek softly "go get your bag" she smiled. 

**OOO**

"I'll try to call you every night, okay?" Spencer assured in his gravelly, sincere voice

"Okay, be safe" Cody replied, she was much calmer now as she stood in the doorway of the apartment saying goodbye to her boyfriend

"I… love you" he smiled self-consciously, the corners of his mouth turning up cutely

"I love you too"

The pair shared a passionate, yet tender kiss before pulling away, allowing Spencer to place one of his slender hands across his girlfriends stomach.

"I'll see you" he smiled lovingly as he walked away, along the outdoor hallway towards the concrete steps leading down to the building's parking lot.


	38. Chapter 38

She pushed the phone back into its holder on the wall, running both hands through her long, tousled hair. Speaking to him made her feel better, but she had grown to realise that this feeling of contentment never lasted long.

She stepped over to the couch and began cleaning up the mess from Penelope's visit earlier that evening. She scooped up the empty chips bowl and grasped two wine glasses between her fingers, walking them carefully through to the kitchen sink. She had allowed herself to try a sip of the deep red wine Garcia had brought for herself; immediately remembering why she had never liked the stuff.

A sudden haziness descended over Cody. Causing her to grasp the rim of the sink with both soapy hands and wait for the room to stop spinning. After a moment or two, she quickly scrubbed the remainder of dirty dishes and headed straight for the bedroom.

**OOO**

He locked his cell phone and lifted his backside off the seat in order to slide it into his back pocket. He turned and looked at Rossi who was sitting in the driver's seat of the SUV. Rossi smiled an understanding smile; the corners of his brown eyes crinkling slightly.

"Everything okay?" he asked

"She's fine. Says she can't wait for us to come home" Spencer smiled

"Can't wait for _you _to come home" he grinned

"I-I'm sure she's uh, looking forward to seeing us all" Spencer could feel himself beginning to fluster.

"I see movement" Rossi's tone immediately changed as he glanced across the dark, suburban road towards the house they had been monitoring

Spencer picked up the walkie-talkie from the dashboard "Activity in the front window, no unsub identification available"

"Come on, come outside" Rossi coaxed quietly.

Two dim headlights turned slowly around the corner behind them. Another black SUV rolled up along the road, gradually beginning to pass by Spencer's window. Hotch and Morgan sat quietly in the front seats while Emily leaned forward from the back.

The front door of the house swayed open, causing Hotch to break and quickly shut off the engine. All 5 agents ducked sharply in their seats.

"Is it him?" Spencer whispered to Rossi

"I can't make it out. Wait, he's carrying something" he quickly took the walkie-talkie "Do you see that?"

Emily's voice crackled quietly through the receiver "yeah, but we can't do anything until we see something suspicious"

A limp arm swung from an opening in the large bag.

"We're going in first, stay on call for back up" Emily's voice ordered.

**OOO**

"You have the guy though, that's a relief, huh?" Cody encouraged as she placed the phone on speaker and walked over to the bookshelf.

"Yeah, I mean, it's great and all. But there's something just… not right, y'know?" Spencer replied as he lay back on the uncomfortable motel bed "I think there may be more to this than we believe right now"

Cody sighed "do you think you're going to be out there for much longer?"

"I really couldn't say. I'm sorry"

"It's okay. Oh, god Spencer the baby's kicking like crazy" she laughed, grasping her stomach.

"I-Is it painful? Are you nauseas? Cody you should sit down, y-you may have a case of Quickening" Spencer spluttered, his cautiousness no match for the distance between them

"Babe, calm down I'm fine; he or she is just having a little wriggle around, that's all"

"I know, I just worry about you; I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing" he rubbed his forehead

"Well that makes two of us" Cody fell silent, an awkward pause forming between them "Spencer; I've been having these… dizzy moments, they're probably nothing but, I don't know, I can't help but worry a little. They've been coming and going for the past-"

Cody trailed off, interrupted by a rustling noise from Spencer's end

"S-sorry, Cody. I couldn't quite hear you just now; Hotch just came into my room and handed me this _huge_ map for a second geographical profile, it's so detailed, you would have loved to be involved in this one"

"Oh. Gosh, okay. Well I'll leave you to finish" Cody sighed "just call me later, okay?"

"Of course I will, and remember: you're safe."

She smiled slightly at Spencer's reassuring sign-off line and hung up the phone. Cody then walked over to the front door to double, triple, quadruple check all the locks were secure. She flicked the switch for the porch light and walked through to the bedroom. 'Just a few more days and he'll be home' she thought to herself.

* * *

><p>Hello lovely readers. First of all I feel I owe you an explanation as to why I suddenly went off on the longest hiatus in history! Since this time last year a lot has changed in my life, I've experienced many stressful situations that have made it absolutely impossible to sit down and develop this story, so much so I'd completely forgotten where I was even going with this chapter, and that's why it's been written in such a slap-dash way (I do apologise for the extremely uninteresting chapter).<br>I've always wanted to keep Maladaptive Daydreamer completely separate from my real life/personal identity as I'm here to share my creations with you, not my life story. However as I completely abandoned this story (which I am still extremely fond of), I feel it's only fair I explain myself. Since I last updated this story, I've completely a year of a degree, met the love of my life, moved homes, and now I'm due to start my second year of university. Unfortunately I became rather careless with the planning of my chapter updates and as so much was going on in my life, I ended up completely forgetting about this story.  
>However I am going to try my best to get Forbidden up and running again, I apologise to everyone who hasdid follow this story and hope you can forgive me for being neglectful. I promise chapter 39 onwards will be written to a much higher standard, longer and much more interesting.

Thank you for your patience!

MaladaptiveDaydreamer.


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